Exclusive Secrets
by TempduMinuit
Summary: A lust, a release and a new secret to keep. For her safety their love is a secret, will they be found out. Pepperony Smut
1. The Magenta Thong

Summary: They were friend but the benefits were excellent in fact they were better than she could ever imagine. Lemon Pepperony

Disclaimer: I do not own iron man or any of its copy righted material

Chapter 1 Genesis

0-0-0-0-0-0

I'm not entirely sure what to call whatever it's we do.

So I'll start at the beginning. Maybe you'll understand it better.

If only I had known how drastically this compulsive decision would change my life.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It had been a late night in the lab with Tony, keeping him company as he tinkered away on his latest invention.

'He seems stressed," She thought discontentedly, 'that makes two of us I guess.'

(You see it will be my next thought that started everything)

'Poor Tony, what he needs is something to relieve his tension,' she thought, 'for that matter I could do with something to relieve my stress as well'.

Suddenly an epiphany explodes into her mind, though it was almost entirely ignited by her hormones.

She knew what she needed to do.

What she wanted to do mutually benefited Tony and herself, even if it wasn't the most appropriate way of going about it.

She can honestly say that she couldn't control herself when she started this plan. Ugh fine that's a complete and total lie, you caught her, she simply didn't WANT to control herself and so she didn't.

So with a knot in her stomach that had more to do with a need that had been left unsatisfied for far too long, than with nervousness she stood up from her perch on the data console and stole a calming breath before unbuttoning the top of her blouse.

Glancing over at her target she was relieved to see him still focused on the armor, allowing her to finish her last touches. She hurriedly brushed her hair and applied some of the strawberry paradise lipstick that Tony had complimented when she first wore it last week.

With one last calming breath she hiked her skirt up, while swiftly sliding her knee length leggings off. Once she stashed the leggings in her bag with her sandals, she began her short walk over to her target talking confidence into her actions to stop her from quitting before she had even started.

"Tony can I talk to you about something," She asked her breathing shallow.

"Sure, Pepper one sec," Tony answered as he shut off his blow torch and flipped up the face mask, "What do you want to talk about." As soon as he finished the sentence he turned away from the armor and towards her to find her rather closer than he expected causing his breath to catch in his throat. Immediately his brain recognized several things about her that were slightly different yet caused blaring alarms to go off in his quick mind.

First he noticed that an unusual amount of cleavage was showing and that her normal leggings were missing, that fact being exasperated by the fact that her skirt was considerably higher on her thighs, exposing quite a bit of creamy-white toned legs. Last but not least his mind registered that she was wearing an irresistible shade of lipstick that may as well be screaming 'come hither'.

"You seem tense, Tony," she answered, her nervousness unexpectedly disappearing. With a coy smile she side-stepped him and positioned herself behind him, her hand trailing along his shoulder.

"I could help with that," she continued both her hand began kneading the taught muscles on his shoulders sensuously.

"W-What do you mean?" Tony queried, her closeness affecting his ability to think.

"You know exactly what I mean," she whispered into his ear, her warm breath was tickling his sensitive flesh, causing him to give a slight moan of pleasure. A small smile graced her lips as she leaned forward incensed and kissed the erroneous spot behind the ear.

"P-Pepper um uh, I'm not sure it's safe for us to have any kind of relationship," he began. Small gasps interrupted his sentence as she continued to nibble his ear and massage his muscular shoulders. At this point she had pushed him down into the chair Rhodey had brought down from the loft, "If my enemies found out you were my girlfriend they'd go after you."

"Yes, I know, but you see this doesn't need to be a relationship. In fact no one needs to know we are doing this," she reasoned seductively, "We both lead rather stressful lives and I see no reason why we can't simply relieve some of that tension every once in a while."

"You mean friends with benefits?" he asked surprise and a small amount of disappointment evident in his voice.

"Something to that effect, and because no one but us knows about it there is no danger from your enemies and we still get to enjoy ourselves," she replied, the anticipation was starting to get to her.

"If we do this I have one condition," Tony responded.

"Of course, anything you want," Pepper said a smile hugging her lips.

"You can't see other guys," he answered.

This surprised her.

Was Tony really the type of guy that wouldn't let other guys touch a girl he was with even if they weren't dating? Her hands stilled and she walked over to the console, leaning against it with her hands. She loved Tony but if he really thought that he was gonna fuck her then have sex with every other girl he met and then tell her that she couldn't be with others, then he wasn't the man she thought he was.

During her thoughts Tony stood up from the chair she had pushed him into and strode over to the obviously pissed red-head. He placed his chin her shoulder and began kissing her neck, his arms slipping around her waist and pulling her back flush with his body.

"Of course I wouldn't be seeing any other girls either," he whispered into her ear and smiling as he felt her tense body relax at his words.

"That sounds an awful lot like a relationship to me and I thought we agreed that would be dangerous," Pepper sighed relaxing into his arms.

"It would be a relationship, only it would be secret for your safety," he replied between each kiss of her neck as he slowly turned her around to face him.

"Your safety is the highest priority, we'll act like friends in public and in private we'll be together," he continued, "We won't even tell Rhodey it'll be our little secret. That way it'll be less likely to slip out and get you hurt."

"That sounds good. I think I like the idea it sounds so…so sneaky," she giggles, "that and the fact that Whitney can't get her hands on you now tha‑"

Before she could finish the sentence, he pressed his lips to hers, capturing them in a heated battle. As soon as she opened her mouth to take a breath, he let her have a quick one, before slipping his tongue in between her parted lips and tasting her sweetness. His actions elicited an aroused moan from her and their tongues began dancing a passionate tango.

Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist removing all space from between them. Acting on their own accord her hands found their way to the bare skin beneath his shirt, once he realized her goal he complied by lifting his arms and allowing her to remove the garment.

By this time she could feel the rather pronounced hard-on through his jeans. Shuddering with pleasure she began grinding against him causing both of them to moan and their movements to quicken.

Using one hand to hold her against him he utilized the other to pull the last of the buttons from their holes upon her shirt. Finally free of her upper garment he slipped his hand beneath the magenta material of the bra giving each breast a gentle squeeze. From the way they fit in his hand he could say they were a nice perky B cup. Reluctantly he removed his hand from their little heaven and moved behind her back, to quickly fiddle and unclasp the hooks of the bra. After a moment his efforts were rewarded when the bra loosened and he was able to remove it entirely leaving both their upper halves bare.

Without hesitating even for a moment Tony bent forward and sucked one of the pert nipples into his eager mouth, causing Pepper to gasp noisily with pleasure and he continued onto the next this time giving it a little nibble. While his mouth was occupied his hand found their way to her bare thighs and slide up her skirt until his searching finger tips found a surprise. Feeling further he realized that she was not wearing an innocent pair of girl panties as he expected but instead was wearing a rather silky thong.

His hesitation brought Pepper back to reality with a knowing smile. Reaching down with a giggle, she pushed Tony far enough away to let her stand up and sexily shimmy a silk magenta thong down her legs.

Before he could react, she pulled him back towards her and tucked the scrap of lingerie into the pocket of his jeans.

"A souvenir if you will," she laughed before kneeling down and beginning to unbutton the jeans of those very same pants she'd just placed the prize in. Within seconds the jeans were kicked off and a small hand was working a pair of black boxers off a muscular waist. Once divested of it, his hard length sprang eagerly out, throbbing slightly.

Wrapping her petite hand around the base of his seven inch cock she bent forward and kissed the head of his erection. Above her head a satisfied moan was released causing her to look up right as she took him into her mouth and began bobbing rhythmically. Soon after she started, Tony had closed his eyes and placed a hand in her hair to help guide her movements. Cupping his balls she gently squeezed noticing the tightening, she readied for the load with aroused anticipation.

Removing both her hands to brace herself on his waist Tony thrust forward deep into her throat causing her to gag slightly as he came splashing deep.

"Fuuuuck," he gasped as her esophageal muscles contracted around him. Looking down as he pulled out of her mouth he saw Peppers lips still closed around him causing a distinctive 'pop' turning him on even more.

Pulling her back up he lifted her up and let her wrap her legs around his waist as he pushed them against the console and began thoroughly kissing his flavor from her mouth. God, it was erotic tasting himself in her mouth.

After another couple minutes of this heavy pawing and kissing he was erect and ready again.

"You sure, you're ready for this?" he asked, "I'll understand if you're not."

Panting heavily, her chest heaving she was blunt.

"Stop talking and start fucking," she gasped.

Being unusually obedient he guided his member passed the trimmed landing strip and into her glistening slit.

"FUCK, God you feel amazing," only half way in and the silky tight heat was ecstasy, "Crap I almost forgot am I hurting you?" God he felt like the world's biggest jerk.

"I'm fine I broke it when I was eight horseback riding," Pepper said stopping him from worrying. Thank god he thought, knowing she was talking about her hymen.

"Start moving again and I'll be quite a bit happier."

Eagerly he complied and began thrusting quickly in and out, each pass allowing him deeper and coating him with hot juices.

It was as if a satin fist was enveloping his member over and over again.

"uh, uh, uh GOD faster oh FUCK," Pepper yelped in ecstasy, "Harder, GOOD GOD HAR-HARDER. OH OH OH FUUUCKKK YESSSSS," she came screaming, contracting around him hard, her head falling back as she shuddered and rode out her release around his twitching cock. He continued pumping slightly to let her finish off completely.

"Pep, baby um I gotta pull out I'm not wearing a condom," he told her causing her eyes to widen and then smile nodding in understanding. A small part of him, well not so small actually wanted to stay in that deliciously tight heaven forever but he knew he had to stop or the consequences might be too much for him to handle just yet. As he slid out Pepper noticed the look of slight disappointment, so she smiled and bent down again taking him back in her mouth and giving him several good sucks until he erupted into her mouth and she licked him clean.

Once they were both sufficiently cleaned and dressed Tony wrapped his arms around her pulling her in for a searing kiss.

"It's late I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"Remember don't tell anyone not even Rhodey, we can't chance this getting out, or it could be disastrous and when I see you tomorrow act normal like nothing happened."

"Alright, Pepper but before you go I just want to tell you that I really like you and not just because of tonight, I liked you before that. For quite a while before that actually," Tony confessed.

An adorable smile appeared across lips, "I was just about to say the exact same thing."

To make sure no one became suspicious Tony waited fifteen minutes after Pepper left before he ventured out of the hidden laboratory and back towards Rhodey's house.

Reaching the front door he checked his watch and sighed,' geez Roberta wasn't gonna be happy, he was three hours past his ten o'clock curfew'.

Turning the key in the lock, he stumbled slightly in the dark and walked into the foyer quietly closing the door behind him. As softly as possible, he tip-toed through the dark living room and was almost to the hallway when a light switched on behind him revealing a rather pissed Roberta in a bathrobe.

"Where were you," Roberta asked briskly.

"Uh, I was working on some homework. I guess I lost track of time sorry," he said starting to walk toward the hallway again.

"What's that in your pocket," she asked noticing the sheen of the magenta silk in his pocket.

Crap

"Just a special cloth I've been working on, um you know sorta of like a bullet proof cloth," he replied hoping it would work.

"Really, can I see it," Roberta asked suspicion evident in her voice.

"I'd prefer you didn't it's not finished ye-"

"Tony come here," Roberta interrupted him brusquely, her tone causing him to trudge over to her the recliner she was sitting in. "Put your hands above your head." He did so nervousness now apparent on his face. Before Roberta could continue a groggy Rhodey appeared in the entrance of the hallway.

"What's going on I heard arguing," Rhodey asked rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and stretching with the other.

"We are about to find out the mystery material that is hidden in Tony's pocket," Roberta replied.

"Now Tony I'm going to give you one chance please be truthful, is it drugs? Is that why you've been skipping school and coming home late?"

"Uhhh what, no of course not! I'm not on drugs," Tony quickly said surprised she would jumped to that conclusion.

"Fine, now if I find out that you lied to me and have marijuana or cocaine in your pocket I swear to god Tony, I am sending you to rehab," Roberta announced. Reaching forward she plucked the pinkish red material from his pocket and held the balled up silk in her hand.

Carefully unfolding the material to make sure it didn't have any drugs enfolded within it she ended with the result of the thong being stretch out between her two hands as a very recognizable piece of lingerie.

"Niiice, dude….I mean you should be more responsible Tony," Rhodey quickly covered his compliment for the sake of his mother's sanity.

"Ok I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. All right, ok, geez uh. Here goes. I understand that you are a growing young man and that you have urges but I have to ask…did you at least use protection."

"uhhhh no."

"OH GOD," Roberta was twitching and on the verge of hyperventilating as she handed him back the thong, "FINE, you know what it's alright just go to bed we'll deal with it if it happens."

With the crisis over Tony followed a stunned Rhodey into the hallway, "Uh I'm gonna grab a shower see ya in the morning."

"Wait dude, can you at least tell me who it was," Rhodey asked his best friend hoping for juicy details.

"No idea didn't catch her name," Tony lied a sheepish smile crossing his face but not for the reason his friend thought.

"HA! you dog you!"

"I can HEAR YOU, you know and as your mother I do not need these images! GO TO BED!" Roberta's voice echoed from the master bedroom.


	2. An Interesting Day at School

The next day at school Tony found himself surrounded by guys.

"So Tony, my man I heard from Rhodey that you got some last night and you didn't even bother to catch her name," Hogan complimented, "That is awesome dude I wish I was as rich as you so the girls would swarm me like that not even caring about that mushy crap like their name."

Across the hall he saw Pepper with a small smile gracing her lips as she listened to the conversation. After a moment the smile was replace with a wink and then a false serious look.

"Boys, I need to talk to Tony about manners and how it is NOT appropriate to treat girls like tissues and just use them and throw them away. I mean seriously guys what happened to waiting until marriage," Pepper began a tangent causing the boys to get a bored look on their faces and began to wonder away.

"Thanks I thought I was going to have to listen to them guess names all day," Tony thanked.

"Well I know they would never guess the truth but I'm pretty sure I'd blow a gasket if they guessed Whitney," she said readjusting her book bag so that it covered the actions of her entire left side. Once hidden from prying eyes she discretely reached forward and cupped the bulge in his pants and whispered quietly so no one could possibly overhear. "My bra and panties are yellow with orange lace, the clasp for the bra is in front," she began speaking normally, "Did you finish that report for History yet its due tomorrow."

"Oh that yeah, uh uh yeah finished it yesterday, well class is about to start so I guess I'll see you at lunch," he said trying to calm his breathing and the slight erection he now had.

As soon as lunch arrived Rhodey, Pepper and Tony sat in their usual spot atop the school roof chatting amiably and to anyone watching it would have appeared completely normal.

"SOOO, Tony I've been dying to hear about this girl you apparently did last night," Pepper said baiting Tony.

"Oh yeah her well she was HOT as all hell I've never met a sexier chick," Tony responded causing Pepper to blush imperceptibly.

RIIIIIIING

Lunch was over

As Pepper and Tony walked to Math one of only two classes they had together, Tony got an idea for a way to get back at Pepper for the little stunt she pulled earlier.

Choosing as always to sit next to each other, Tony whispered that he wanted to make a tiny change so that instead of sitting near the front they were at the back high above their classmates prying eyes.

"Tony why are we sitting up here, no one ever sits up here," Pepper asked.

"Exactly, now that we are in a relationship we are probably going to act different subconsciously around each other so by not sitting where everyone can see us we can act however we want without worry of someone catching on," Tony responded with a small smile as they sat down.

As the class went on Tony slowly migrated closer to his new girlfriend and at the last moment when he could get no closer without suspicion he placed a scrap of paper on her knee for her to read. As soon as she picked it up he felt a warm hand replace the weight of the paper and looked up to see Tony rubbing circles on her knee with his thumb.

Allowing him to continue the little massage she carefully opened the note to see 'Payback Time'.

Looking up from the note she looked over at Tony with confusion written across her face but suddenly understood when his hand left her knee and slid backwards up her leg until it reached the apex of her thighs and began slowly kneading her mound through the thin cotton of her leggings.

It took all the self-control she had to stop herself from moaning loudly but she just couldn't keep the gasp from her lips causing the teacher to look at them funny.

"Yes Ms. Potts do you have something to say," Mrs. Kolinsky asked her shivering student.

"Uh, mmm, um no, no definitely not," she gasped hardly able to keep herself from full out moaning as Tony rubbed her clit through the cloth.

"Are you feeling alright, Ms. Potts you don't look so good," Mrs. Kolinsky noticed.

"F-Fine ma'am just fine," Pepper replied calming down as Tony returned his hand to her knee.

Later that day once school was over the trio of friends headed to the secret lab so Tony and Rhodey could start their afternoon patrol.


	3. Sunshine Yellow Panties

A/N: I'm going to try to make this a medium sized story I have no idea how long it's actually going to be.

Six months had past and the couple's relationship had gone unnoticed by any and all, due to extreme measures of caution. After the initial act they had decided that they couldn't take the chance of Mrs. Rhodes or Rhodey catching them by chance. To prevent, Tony mad made it a rule to never be 'together' in the armory or in public as anything other than friends.

At this exact moment in fact Tony and Pepper could be found in the Armory that their relationship first started in going over some final designs.

"I'm actually kind of glad you refused to make my suit pink, cause now that I think of it I probably wouldn't be taken very seriously," Pepper intoned her thanks to Tony.

"That and I think this shade of blue looks amazing with certain slightly more pale areas of your skin, not that anyone else is ever going to know that," Tony chuckled imagining the cool metallic nano-skin slowly retracting across naked skin to reveal…damn he needed a cold shower.

She giggled that throaty almost purr like laugh that seared trailed down his spine and caused smoldering in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah well, I was hoping to try it on tonight. Seeing as it is your sixth month anniversary gift to me," she smirked sexily at him, "Try it on and take it off that is."

Damn.

"And what would you say if I told you that this isn't your anniversary gift it's merely a perk of being the secret girlfriend of a superhero," Tony shot back with a grin mock buffing his finger nails on his grease stained shirt.

"You're incorrigible," she tsked playfully, "but I would have to reply by saying that your gift is hidden in my back pack and that until I see my gift you don't get to see yours."

"Very well, if you want to see if you're going to have to put on this new suit of yours, because it's certainly not walking distance," Tony instructed as he pushed a button and the skin tight material of Pepper's new suit turned to liquid and almost as if it were alive streamed into individual balls of hardening metal.

"So do I get a hint as to where we are heading," Pepper inquired coyly as she took the place of the plastic replica atop the work table.

"Hmmmm, I guess you've earned that much. It's impossible to walk there from anywhere," Tony answered through a grin.

"That's a conundrum, how about instead of twenty questions. You take me to where ever we are going and I allow you to fuck my brains over the long weekend," she offered as Tony gathered the metal balls and placed them into a vial and then the vial into the intricate machine hovering over the table.

Over the duration of their relationship Pepper had lost her nervous random chattering and had become playful almost foxlike in her demeanor. That and her libido seemed insatiable.

"Sounds like a plan, so are you going to tell me how you convinced your dad to let your spend the entire weekend with me even if he doesn't know we are dating," Tony asked absentmindedly, calibrating the machine as he went."

"Oh you know the usual, I told him that I'm going to Tiffany's house and if he calls the number I left he'll get the armory computer saying that yes I got there all right and that we are doing something girly," Pepper explained, bracing herself for the pain Tony had warned her about when she first enquired her idea for a suit.

Flashback two months into relationship

Things had been going great between the two of them, every chance they got they snuck off to some deserted rooftop or some such unnoticed place and relieved the tensions they had each accumulated.

Last time he had checked his phone it had said 5:12 P.M. meaning they had plenty of time as he paid for a room in a cheap motel with a fake ID and the manager handed him the card key to room 114 of the Relax Inn that he had found in a small town in central Florida. Yeah that's right he was that paranoid about being caught that he used the Iron man armor to fly the two of them from New York City to this randomly picked motel in the Sunshine State.

Key in hand he left the check-in office and joined Pepper who had been waiting outside the office so that if questioned later the manager wouldn't be able to identify two teens.

"We have room 114 it's down stairs at the end of the parking lot," he told his smiling girlfriend who immediately grabbed his hand and the card key, dragging him to the aforementioned room and quickly unlocking the door.

As she opened the door she used the other hand to grab Tony by the shirt and push him into the room, slamming the door behind herself. Before he could react she pulled her top over her head and shimmied out of her skirt leaving her in nothing but a pair of panties.

"Well that confirms my suspicions that you most definitely were NOT wearing a bra at school today," Tony finally managed smiling widely.

"Yep, makes stripping a hell of a lot easier," Pepper shot back, the panties she wore were merely two triangle of sky blue silk tied at the sides with string bows.

Not waiting for permission he reached down and attempted to untie the little bows that barred his access.

Attempted, being the key word being that as soon as he tried she slapped his hand away.

"Ah ah ah," she reprimanded, "reciprocity first."

Pepper was a smart girl her vocabulary notwithstanding.

"Aye aye Mon cap-i-ton," he quipped quickly divesting himself his clothes before throwing her onto the bed and landing neatly between her legs, pulling the bows open as he went.

"Mmm that's nice but this captain wants the helm tonight, Mr. Starbuck," She alluded with a chuckle.

Tony yelped as he left his comfortable position and was reoriented with his face to the ceiling.

"Oh merciful Minerva that feels good," Tony moaned as her already glistening pussy gyrated against his bare crotch.

"Sorry to tell you this but mutiny is in the air tonight," Tony corrected, flipping them back over until he was once again between her legs.

Her mouth opened to protest this change but was quickly quelled when his mouth came down upon hers in a bruising kiss. Forgetting her early thought she slipped her fingers into his short hair and held on for dear life.

Once she was distracted, he reached a hand down between them. Tracing the smooth waxed folds he found her engorged clit. Using his index and ring finger her pushed her lips out of the way and began quickly flicking his middle finger at the center of the displayed nerve. Pepper shuddered and moaned beneath him spreading her legs wider for her lover. With more space Tony moved to the side of her allowing his thumb to take over the motions of his middle finger before he coupled his index and middle and pushed them into her already dripping lips.

Instead of pumping as he had done on his first attempt at this he decided on using the method that had always obtained great results. Pushing his fingers in as far as they could possibly go he curled them slightly and spread them apart before making as if he were trying to bring just his index finger to his thumb despite the clenching muscles separating them.

She screamed in pleasure. Again and again as he repeated the process, never allowing his fingers to fully leave her or his thumb to stop its quick rotations. Finally he felt her tight channel clench around his fingers in orgasm. As she rode down from her high he tore open the silver packet in his hand with his teeth and expertly slipped it over his blood engorge cock.

Much to her disappointment he immediately removed his fingers licking them clean within her blurred line of sight. Before she could come out of her glazed trance he positioned himself against her still gushing slit and thrust deep until his balls were pushed up against her once again moaning body.

Her pelvis rocked as she tightened her muscles around him before loosening with each rock.

Making sure to keep his euphoric member buried deep within the slippery, tight canal he flipped them over so that she was face down in the bunched up covers now clenched tightly in her fingertips.

"I swear to god Tony that if you don't hurry up you're going to be missing a patch of hair and I DON'T mean on your hea-aaah. "

With deep fast thrust that he shut her up more thoroughly than she'd ever been shut up before.

It was afterwards as they lay in each other's arms barely paying attention to the evening sitcom Pepper had turned on, that a certain 'spice' girl brought up the subject that Tony had repeatedly avoided.

"So, about my armor," she began tentatively.

"Ugh, Pepper being my girlfriend is dangerous enough, there is no need for you to fight Rhodey and I can handle any problems that come up perfectly fine," Tony replied brushing a strand of red hair out of her now irate eyes.

"Just because I'm a girl does not mean that I am some defenseless little Barbie who can't do anything useful," Pepper shot back candidly pulling out of his grasp and standing up, "Personally I find it a little sexist that you'll let Rhodey have his own armor and fight in battles right next to YOU THEN TURN AROUND AND SAY THAT IT'S TOO DANGEROUS AND THAT YOU'LL "HANDLE IT." DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO SIT AT THAT CONTROL CONSOLE AND HOPE THAT YOU'RE BOYFRIEND DOESN'T HAVE ANY BROKEN BONES _IF_ HE RETURNS AT ALL."

Tony had gotten up as well on the other side of the bed allowing it to act as a buffer between them as his temper flared up, god WHY couldn't she understand.

"IT'S DIFFERENT I DON'T LOVE RHODEY," Tony shouted before realizing his admission…It was true he did love Pepper, he had just never had the courage to tell her.

Across the room Pepper had stiffened into a gaping statue, slowly but surely her mouth closed then opened then closed again.

"I love you too," Pepper whispered.

"What?"

"I-I said that I love you too," she repeated, "You're right two big muscle headed robots is enough for one city."

He snorted.

"What's so funny," Pepper asked her anger returning.

"Nothing it's just that if I know that saying I love would have shut you up I would have said it a lot sooner," Tony chuckled, Peppers just shook her head no longer irritated but trying and failing to keep up the pretense before she broke into an amused smile.

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say that we don't need three Iron man armors. Instead I think we need to diversify a bit. Perhaps instead of heavy duty armor, I could be the Intel member of the team," Pepper explained as she settled back onto the bed and motioned for Tony to join her.

"OK and how would you go about that," he asked acquiescing to her gesticulation.

"Well, I know that you're working on the madam masque equipment and I was wondering if perhaps once you were done I could use it…You know to work the streets and find out information so that you and Rhodey don't have to bust into situation with only half the story. I could also investigate things that aren't of immediate urgency so that we could prevent crimes as well as arrest those we catch red handed," Pepper stopped, wringing her hands as Tony sat back and absorbed the information.

"That's….actually a REALLY good idea," Tony began to agree.

Before he could think of any possible arguments, Pepper threw her arms around him.

"Oh you won't regret this. I've been learning martial arts and self-defense since I was six so I would have an edge with the FBI and I took gymnastics. This is going to be GREAT,  
>she exclaimed as Tony laughed enjoying her enthusiasm almost as much as he enjoyed her naked body pressed up against his own. Looking over her shoulder he noticed the time on the alarm clock next to the bed.<p>

"Pep, we'll have to finish this conversation another time we have to leave NOW if we want to get back to New York by curfew."


	4. Cabin in the Woods

Disclaimer: I don't own anything copyrighted

Chapter 4

Returning from the flashback, the needles embedded themselves through her dermis at 10 points, my sternum, my shoulders, my hands, my pelvis, my knees and my feet. She held her breath to prevent her screaming. The needles were originally for bone taps and were the not tiny by any means. If I scream she thought, Tony might not allow me to finish the procedure now or ever again.

Flashback

5 months into relationship

They were sitting on the porch of a cabin in the Rockies that Tony had rented. He had brought them there for 2 reasons. One was to make mad passionate love to his girlfriend. Two was because they were both in desperate need for a relaxing vacation.

After nearly five straight hours of fucking, collapsing, and fucking some more, the lovers sat on opposite side of a round outdoor dining table. The aforementioned table was currently covered with several blue prints and two plates with turkey sandwiches and some chips.

"The one thing I can't figure out is how you're going to keep your suit with you at all times and not get caught. I mean seeing as it's not a mechanized suit I can't just give you self-dressing back pack like Rhodey and I have," Tony inquired.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, if I constantly wear it there is the rather high possibility that I'll be found out somehow. Damn why can't superhero suits just melt into your body until you needs them," Pepper replied with a chuckle at her own little joke.

"He he, yeah if only th….PEPPER YOU'RE A GENIUS."

Without explaining further he picks up pencil and a new blue print paper and began scribbling randomly.

"Um, while I know I'm a genius can I ask what it was that I said," Pepper asked confusedly.

Instead of answering Tony pulled out his phone and began doing research and what looked like algorithms very, very quickly, Pff and he calls me a genius, yeah right more like his muse.

Knowing that when he got this way he wasn't going to be recovering for a while she stood up and reentered the cabin opting instead to relax on the couch watching Jumanji for the millionth time.

Approximately 3 hours later

"Pepper, Pepper where'd you g- oh there you are. Ok, I finished the designs for your suit come on," Tony said grabbing her hand and bodily pulling her from the couch towards the porch like an overexcited puppy.

It took me a moment to realize that the drawing was upside down. Ah that's better.

"WOW, Tony it's beautiful, did you figure out how I could wear it and not get caught," she asked tracing the lines of her future suit lovingly.

"Uh, Yeah but you see it would require some sacrifice on your part and it will probably be rather painful," Tony answered sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Pff, he's probably still trying to get me to reconsider this whole thing.

"What kind of pain and sacrifice," she asks.

"Well I would be injecting portions of the suit into different sections of your body, and the injections would be rather painful," Tony replied.

"I don't care, I'll take the pain. I'm tired of being left behind. Now can you explain to me how I will be putting on the suit if it's inside of me," Pepper retorts without hesitation.

"The suit will consist of Nano metal and will painlessly ooze out and cover you weapons, accessories and all. I'm going to convert the mask into Nano metal so that it will form on you along with the rest."

End Flashback.

Clenching the mouth guard between her teeth she blinked rapidly as tiny rivers of tears welled and trickle from her eyes.

The precision robotic arm had broken through the periosteum and she could feel the cool preparation gel push against the marrow, coating the nerves, bone and muscle. It was almost like having vinegar and salt poured over her nerves. She couldn't take it anymore.

"MMMmmmmMMMMMMMmmmmm," came her muffled screams of pain.

"Pepper, Pepper listen to me I need to nod if you want to stop," Tony pleaded.

FUCK NO she had come too far and wasn't about to let her pain be in vain.

Her head frantically shook back and forth. She spit the mouth guard out.

"If you even fucking think – eh- of turning this off I'll –hih- JUST DON'T-" was all she could make out before she started choking from the pain.

"Stage one Complete Stage two Commencing," an automatic voice announced.

The robotic arms removed themselves from her body cauterizing and sticking her skin back in place.

"Neural interface installation needs authorization, Mr. Stark would you like to continue."

Tony closed his eyes as the message repeated; he opened them and looked at my exhausted angry face.

"Are you sure, it only gets worse from here," he almost seemed to be imploring me to stop.

"I knew the consequences going into this, continue," I replied as the computer's message repeated for a third time, "Oh and Tony I love you."

I mentally wish that I could have used pain relievers for the first part but they wouldn't have worn off in time for the neural interface to be put in place. For that I had be awake and able to feel everything.

Tony leans over and kisses me gently before replacing my mouth guard.

"Interface installation commencing."

The machines arms descend once more this time headed with thousands of tiny needle heads. Essentially it's going to be giving me a tattoo but instead of injecting me thousands of times all over my body with ink it will be injecting neural communication points all over my body. At least this is less painful than the last part…knock on wood.

It's ironic that I would even think that seeing as how I know the plans and what's going to happen next.

My full body neural tattoo is done leaving my skin read and irritable from my neck down. Next might be the worst part. The arms return this time with a new very thin almost hair like needle attached to it. It is hair like the needle is flexible and attached to a long nano filament that will act as the circuit once it is connected to the major neural point just tattoo onto my body. I want to scream but restrain myself for Tony's sake as the needles begins to thread the filament through my skin and begins creating a spider web of circuits from the ten different points the original bone taps left.

I thank god when the needles retreat half an hour later. At least I can be knocked out for the next few parts that Tony needs to do.

As Pepper is knocked out by the anesthesia, he leans over her inspecting the damage and correcting any blemishes left or scars left on her skin with a melting laser and a rubber flesh imprint to make it look like a normal patch of skin. Once done with that he clamps her eye open with an ocular stirrup and begins permanently attaching the infrared/night vision/zoom/x-ray contact he spent the last two weeks devising to her cornea. Depending on which function she was using her iris color would change. Red for infrared, glowing green for night vision oscillating blue for zoom and silver for x-ray. The contact for the left eye would be for data gathering. It was a camera, a photographic facial and body identifier and a fluorescent light skinner that could also become any eye for a retina scan.

In her ear he permanently implanted a special hearing aid that amplified and recorded any conversation within 500 feet. It also used echolocation in case of loss of vision for whatever reason.

Next he sprayed her entire body with a special polymer that protected her skin from temperatures, pressures and any shrapnel that might harm her.

Finally he attached anti-gravitational repulsion gyros to her heels and palms right beneath the skin.

Once finished he figured he might as well just bring her to her anniversary present instead of making her fly in her condition. He knew before the procedure even started that there was no way in hell Pepper would be in any condition to do more than test a few things on her suit, let alone have sex.

Placing his sleeping girlfriend in a pod he strapped her to his back and began the 4 hour flight towards her surprise.

Arriving at their destination he opened the pod and removed Pepper, carrying her over and placing her in a porcelain inset Jacuzzi filled with a opaque white liquid. Positioning her so that she would not slip under and drown, he took the pod he had brought her in and pressed a button causing it to fold up into a small cylinder, which Tony placed into a hole in the wall which obediently sucked it up.

"Jarvis, I want you to make sure she doesn't drown and if she wakes up keep her calm and alert me," Tony ordered as he left the room.

"Of course, Mr. Stark," replied a hologram and immediately a ceiling tile moved sideways and a metal arm with padded rubber tips reached down and assisted Pepper in floating.

Tony smiled at the picture it created in his mind. The woman he loved the most floating serenely in a Jacuzzi set in the floor of a luxurious Tuscan style bathroom.


	5. Playing Doctor

Review please

Chapter 4

Genius' are often impatient and Anthony Edward Stark is no exception to this rule. It was nearly 12 hours after he had placed his comatose lover into the regeneration solution he finally received the message from Jarvis that Pepper had awoken.

Halting his pacing an extremely nervous Tony rushed away from the glass window he had been staring out, towards his probably panicking lover.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Pepper had been anything but panicky when she woke up. In fact she was rather unlike her usual ADHD self.

When Tony arrived the bath had been drained completely of the caustic white gel it had held prior and been refilled with an enormous volume of bubbles.

"I hope you like the scent of strawberry that's all Jarvis had," the red head lounging amongst the bubbles announced.

Something was different; she wasn't supposed to have been able to do more than gasp in pain for at least another day.

"Are you going to continue standing there with your mouth hanging open like a fish or are you going to join me?" she asked her hair suddenly changing to blue.

Luckily his genius level IQ allowed him a much faster response time than if he had been any other man in this situation.

"While that sounds quite titillating I'll have to pass just this once. We really need to run some diagnostics on you first," Tony smiled at his girlfriend. As she rolled her eyes her hair turned back to red.

"Just when I was having fun with my new powers," she pouted as the bubbles surrounding her divided and she floated still dripping soapy water out of the bath, "I have to admit, the anti-gravity is rather nice."

"I thought so too, I'm going to add some to myself," Tony said licking his suddenly dry lips as his girlfriend proceeded to cloth herself with the thin white silk robe that Jarvis metal arm had provided.

The moisture on her skin caused the white to become intoxicatingly translucent. Tony cleared his throat as his wrapped his arms around Peppers waist and escorted her to the lab, chatting about nothing as they went.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Amazing. Astonishing. Absolutely incomprehensible.

"It's almost as if the technology that I incorporated into your body had become a part of you. It's no longer just metal that responds to thought processes, it's actually become an inorganic sentient organ," Tony exclaimed as he read the reports off the screen in front of him.

"I've learned a lot just from knowing you, but I have no idea what that means," Pepper said with a chuckle as she wrapped her arms around her lovers waist and looked at the report over his shoulder.

Turning in her embrace, he bent down and swept her up legs and all into his arms.

"Essentially, it is like being coral. You were just human and then a symbiotic organism moved into your body and you became a new type of more advanced organism. You are no longer completely human, you're like me a cyborg," Tony said excitedly as he laid her down on the examination table.

"If I hadn't chosen this for myself I might be a bit insulted," Pepper said attempting to kiss his lips but failing as he turned away only to return with a flat stick probe in his hand. He didn't seem to even have noticed her attempt at romance. Typical.

Not even looking at her Tony read out the result of whatever test he had done on her.

"This is incredible. My original hypothesis was that you wouldn't immediately respond to the neural interface and that it would take at 24 hours for you to even be able to function at quasi-normal level. For some reason your body and the system seem to have linked sinuously," Tony said as he picked up another device and ran it over her naked body.

"Yes of course and it's also our anniversary, I'm incredibly horny and lying on an exam table completely naked beside you," Pepper said in a casual tone to her completely oblivious boyfriend.

"I've definitely out done myself this time. In fact I'm going to add this to my own suit. What you say sweetheart," Tony said continuing to move the probed over her body.

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Pepper reached up, pried the device from his hand and placed said hand over her perky breast.

Tony froze for a moment before turning and staring confused at Pepper.

"Finally, now are you going to keep running test when we have all weekend for that or are you going to screw me senseless doctor," Pepper finished mischievously.

Yes, sometimes Anthony Edwards Stark's IQ weren't always pulling their weight. Luckily he had a gorgeous red head to remind him when to use his other head.

Sitting up, Pepper dangled her smooth bare legs off the edge of the metal table. Thanks to that operation she'd never again have hair anywhere but on her head. (Go lasers ;D)

"Now Dr. Stark are you going to continue with the impersonal test or are you going to give the patient some good old fashioned TLC," Pepper asked as she seductively unbuttoned Tony's shirt then pants.

Before she could say anything more he pushed her onto the cold metal, silencing her with a deep tongue wrangling kiss. Wrapping her legs around him in response, Pepper used her feet to push his unbuttoned jeans to his ankles along with his boxers.

"You can be really slow sometimes," Pepper growled into his ear as he sucked on her neck.

"Forgive me I just made the discovery of the century," Tony apologized between nibbles, "I'm entitled to a brief bout of stupidity."

"Shut up and Fuck me," Pepper ordered as she reached her hand into his boxers and squeezed his cock.

"Fuck Pep," he answered pressing into her stroking palm, "has anyone ever told you you're a sexual deviant."

"No but then again everyone thinks I'm a doe eyed virgin; and seeing as you're the only one I've ever played 'stuff the sausage' with," Pepper bantered as she pushed his boxers farther to join his jeans which he kindly stepped out of.

"With sayings like that I'm surprised you're not one of those foodies that feed cake to obese people when you sleep with them," Tony retorted pushing her hand away and kicking the release on the table.

The legs of the table dropped a good two feet leaving Pepper on her back gaping at him with surprise.

"You know what I find odd," Tony said walking around the table so that he was behind her head, "the fact that you have yet to ask where we are. I told Jarvis not to ruin the surprise so you either know or don't care which I don't think is the case." Tony shrugged out of his shirt leaving them both naked.

"Don't you remember, the neural interface has GPS. Now stop thinking with your damn brain and give the patient a nice injection," Pepper requested shaking her breast invitingly a grin on her face.

"First Ms. Potts I have to do a perk test," Tony grinned as he leaned over her face, purposefully allowing his erection to rub against her face. Using both hands he massaged her soft pebble tipped globes.

Before she could react he pulled her entire body towards him until her head hung over the edge of the table.

"This is serious, Ms. Potts I'm afraid that you are going through withdrawal of a sexual nature," he lining his balls up with her mouth. He could no longer see anything but her upside down smile as her tongue peeked out from between her lips and began laving his sac.

Whoever said Happiness was a warm gun was wrong it should have been the warm tongue of the girl between his legs.

"The treatment is experimental and quite risky, are you sure you want to go through with it," he asked pressing his balls against her kissing lips.

"I'd do anything doctor."

"Good, then stop talking the cancer is also in your vocal cords and we wouldn't want to damage that," Tony smirked to himself, "Just do as my hands tell you."

Pulling open the drawer of the stand next to him he shuffled through until he found the gel used for sonograms. Resourceful as ever he thought as he squeezed the cool into the valley of her breast. His balls were sucked hard as she reacted to the sudden cold. With the tips of his fingers he spread the gel over the center of her chest making sure that he had enough lubrication.

Moving away from her rather pleasant ministrations he climbed onto the table and turned around, straddling her torso so that his rock hard penis rested between her breast.

She looked as if she was about to comment on the position she Tony reopened the drawer and retrieved a roll of gauze tape which he immediately used to cover her mouth. Her eyes seemed to grin at him as one of her hands came up to envelope his eight inch erection in a steady pumping motion.

Moaning as the sensation of her hand he reached behind himself with his still lubed fingers and began teasing the crease of her folds.

"Pep, how does that make your new nerves feel," Tony asked. Her eyes were rolled back in obvious ecstasy as his thick thumb moved lower and began rubbing her swollen clit. The tape prevented coherent responses but he got the message any way. But that wasn't much fun.

"Sorry Pep what did you say. Stop I can't hear you. What's that your breast want a good fucking, well why didn't you say so." She gave him a sarcastic glare that clearly said, 'keep going or else'.

Removing his fingers from her snatch, he placed both hands on either side of her perky tits and pushed them together around his now twitching cock.

"Fuck that's good," he moaned as he pumped himself between the two flesh colored pillows.

Peppers frustration quickly turned to pleasure as her eyes glazed over. Tony had taken to pinching, flicking and lightly twisting her now over sensitive nipples. Her hands came up to hold her own breasts in place as Tony leaned sideways and retrieved the long thin cylinder probe of the portable MRI.

Returning his hand to her pussy, he pressed the smooth tip of the probe against her slit. Instead of pushing it into her he continued teasing as he thrust hard into her breast.

The pressure on his dick alleviated for a bare moment as Pepper reached up and ripped the tape from her mouth. Her hand automatically returned to her holding her breast.

"IF your dick or that stick is NOT in my fucking cunt by the time I count to three then I'm outta here until you feel like manning u—," Pepper warned in a half angry half moaning voice.

Before she could finish, the probe pushed passed her lips and into her clenching vaginal channel.

How he wished he was that probe…wait he could be!

Yanking the probe out of her pussy to the profanity of Pepper her dismounted her torso and walked around the end of the table until he was between her legs.

To get the best depth he lifted her legs and draped them over his shoulder so they went straight up his front.

Without preparation or warning he thrust himself balls deep into her vice like gripping tunnel. The walls clung to him as he began pulling out causing him to moan in ecstasy.

"Fuck Pepper we have to do this without lube more often," Tony said opening his eyes to look at her.

She was shaking at the intense sensation, each and every one of her new nerve endings was filling her brain with intensely pleasurable information.

Pushing slowly back in, he groaned at the sensation of the muscle as it began pulling at him. The walls of her silken burrow was undulating around him as she clenched in orgasm.

He continued pumping into her as she writhed in pleasure.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

This continued for nearly 4 hours until the couple collapsed on the Emperor sized bed that they had finally reached after having copulated on nearly every surface between the lab and the bedroom.

"I think it's safe to say that the suit definitely gives you more stamina," he whispered into her ear as he pulled her half asleep form flush against his exhausted chest.

"I think what you invented was the ultimate sex machine, that or a cure for ADHD. I've never been so focused in my life," Pepper mumbled against her lover's neck as they fell asleep.


	6. Masquing the Truth

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Chapter 6

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Howard Stark worried about his son Tony. He had no way of knowing how he was coping without him. They had been so close that now that Tony no longer had him, the poor kid was probably depressed.

Damn you Gene Khan. My son needs me.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I'm telling you, it was a woman wearing a mask. I didn't do it, I ain't a fink," said the man known as Randy the Rat who was currently tied to a chair in the middle of a dimly lit warehouse.

"Even if I was to believe you, and I'm not saying I do, why would some broad in a mask beat up all our men but you, and not even take the money they had," Lino interrogated as he opened and closed the cigar cutter in his hands menacingly.

"How would I know, all I remember is a woman in a mask came up to me, punched me and when I woke up I was in a dumpster," Randy answered, sweat dripping down the nape of his neck despite the cold night air.

"Well you see I _don't_ believe you. You wanna know why? Because I've seen the security footage and while I didn't see any masked chicks, I did see you pull out a stun gun and then beat up all of the guys you's was supposed to be working with. Then I saw YOU tie them up and leave them for the cops while YOU ran away."

"I SWEAR I didn't do it. If I did wouldn't I have taken the money," Randy begged.

"I don't know or care why you didn't take the money, maybe your conscience got to you or you're an undercover pig, either way you aren't leaving this place until you're a few fingers fewer and a few holes richer," Lino promised pulling out an Uzi, "Paul Lazano gives his regards from the Triad."

Thirty feet above them sitting completely unnoticed on a rafter beam, a black haired woman smiled beneath her mask. She had recorded the entire conversation as evidence and was rather pleased that her decision to let Randy go, so that he'd lead her to criminals higher up on the food chain, had worked.

"Madam Masque gives her regards to you," she announced surprising 'Lino' as she dropped onto him from above knocking him out immediately.

"Y-you. W-who are you?"

Instead of answering the woman spun in her skin tight suit and smashed the heel of her silver boot into the face of a rather buff man that had appeared from the shadows after she had dropped his boss.

Using the bleeding man as a springboard, she vaulted over his head, her hands never leaving his shoulders so as to allow her inertia to flow through both of them and cause the bodyguard to fly over her own shoulders as she landed nimbly on her feet. The unfortunate guard landed on another of his colleagues, preventing the man from opening fire on her.

Another guard pulled the trigger of the AK-52 in his hands, forcing her to do a round off flip to evade. Her suit was bullet proof but it still hurt to get hit.

Grabbing the smaller of the two men she had felled, she used the collar on his jacket to hold him in front of her.

"Drop the gun or your friend here gets to be the new definition of bullet monkey," Pepper bluffed. If it came to her life over this thug she'd choose her own, but she preferred everyone survive this encounter.

The guard hesitated before aiming his semi-automatic rifle at the two.

Mentally cursing, Pepper twisted out of the way of the bullets that would have torn both of them apart, while pushing the guard she had been holding to the floor knocking him unconscious with a blow to the head from her knee.

"You're a callous little fucker aren't you," Pepper shouted as she pulled her stun gun from her belt and shot at the still firing guard.

A round of tiny electrified metal prongs left the barrel of her gun and lodged themselves in the skin of his neck.

Before he could brush away the minor annoyance Pepper pressed the button on the side of hers and the man dropped like a wet rice sack, convulsing from the sudden jolt of electricity introduced to his system.

Holstering her gun, Pepper stood up, brushing the dust from her combat suit that had accumulated during the fight.

"P-please don't kill me," Randy sobbed, still bound to the chair. A patch of wetness marred the denim near his crotch.

"I'm not going to kill as long as you cooperate," Pepper reassured as she dragged the largest of the four unconscious men toward Randy's chair and proceeded to tied him to it.

She continued with the others until each of them was tied back to back to the chair.

"Now, Mr. Garret, you are going to answer a couple of questions for me," Pepper said as she pulled up a chair and removed a cheap little audio recording device from her belt of tools.

"What do you wanna know," Randy the Rat hurriedly offered.

"Everything," Pepper said calmly.

She really needed to get to school, she was sure her fiancé was waiting for her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Flashback

It had been the night after Tony had his own Neural Interface Implantation that had been done by the programmed Jarvis at their secret house. Pepper hadn't been able to watch the surgery and had decided to prepare dinner for when Tony woke from his medically induced coma.

Not that she had much to do, seeing as Jarvis worked the appliances while she merely set plates out and told him what she wanted for dinner.

"What should we have for dessert," Pepper asked the A.I.

"Mr. Stark has already chosen desert prior to his operation," Jarvis explained, "It is waiting in the refrigerator. He also asked that you not eat it until he had woken and joined you for dinner."

So she had waited and waited and then waited some more. Tony had over slept his projected awakening mark by four hours.

Tony had warned her that there was a small chance that the Extremis formula in his system from the week before might affect the surgery, though not in a dangerous way.

His half of the dinner had gone cold and Pepper sat in the living room watching robot chicken on adult swim as she tried to pass the time.

She was also very hungry; her lightning fast metabolism had already run through a protein bar and her half of the evening meal.

Getting up she wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge in search of something to eat.

Two ceramic bowls of chocolate soufflé sat invitingly inside.

"Ms. Salt I must insist you not eat the soufflé before Mr. Stark awakens," Jarvis requested.

"Sorry Jarvis, but we both know that it'll fall before Tony wakes up," Pepper answered as she removed the bowl labeled Pepper.

"And Jarvis, You only have to call me Ms. Salt if someone other than Tony is here," Pepper added as she grabbed a spoon and headed back to the living room.

"Very well, Ms. Potts," Jarvis conceded.

Sitting back down cross legged on the leather couch Pepper dug into the soufflé with gusto, that is until she almost swallowed something hard.

Clenching her throat muscles to keep from swallowing it, Pepper coughed in vain as she tried to remove the object from her air way.

"Whoa Pep are you okay," came a voice from behind the couch that accompanied a hand that firmly clapped her on the back forcing the object she was choking on out. It hit the floor with a metallic clinking noise as it skittered across the tile floor.

Breathing heavily, Pepper turned and glared at Tony, "Do you normally put bits of metal into soufflé's or were you just trying to kill me."

"S-Soufflé," Tony stammered suddenly, "You ate the soufflé?"

"Yeah, I was hungry and didn't want to let it go to waste, yours is still in the fridge," Pepper answered confused.

Running into the kitchen, Pepper could hear Tony as he opened the fridge, groaned and then turned to her.

"Where is the thing you were choking on," Tony asked exasperatedly as he grabbed a paper towel.

"Somewhere in the living room I guess," Pepper answered confused as she set down the now forgotten soufflé bowl.

Tony wondered back into the living with the paper towel in hand and flicked on the light. After a moment a cry of triumph could be heard.

"Tony it's alright I don't really care about the piece of metal," Pepper said as she walked into the living room.

Tony turned and smiled at her.

"It's not just any piece of metal," Tony said as he knelt down on one knee, "When I woke up we were supposed to have dinner and during desert I was going to propose. I guess that didn't really work as planned."

"P-Propose?" Pepper stuttered.

"Yes, Now here goes nothing. Virginia Potts, I love you more than anything on the face of the earth, would you do me the honor of marrying me," Tony asked his eyes hopeful.

"Obviously yes, but what about keeping this a secret," Pepper asked as if he had asked about whether the sky was blue.

"We'll figure it out," Tony said as he slipped the now saliva free ring onto her finger and stood up, "Now I believe we have a soufflé to finish."

End flashback

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

After she had finished questioning him, Pepper stunned Randy, taped the recorder to his shirt and called the cops before jumping onto the sleek illusioned black motorcycle Tony had built for her.

Beating up criminals was always a good way to start ones day.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Tony waved to Pepper as she pulled into the Tomorrow Academy's student parking lot on her red motorcycle.

Holograms were always rather helpful, he mused as Pepper parked and put up the kick stand of her previously black ride.

"Let me guess, you were following a tip and didn't have time to grab breakfast," Tony teased as he held his arms behind his back. Luckily no one was in earshot of their conversation.

"Don't remind me, I didn't have time to eat last night because one of my mics picked up an attempted robbery by some of the Triad. So basically I've been up all night running on empty, beating up thugs and interrogating idiot criminals that pee themselves over the slightest things," Pepper grumbled.

"Well then I guess you're too upset to enjoy a sausage egg and bacon bagel with a large double expresso Frappuccino with whip cream," Tony sighed dramatically as he pulled the Dunkin Donut's to go bag out from behind his back.

"You're a life saver," Pepper said grabbing the iced coffee and taking a long gulp, "If we weren't in public I'd thank you properly."

"Perhaps later, for now eat up. I wouldn't want my favorite new super heroine losing a fight because she was peckish now would I," Tony teased as they started walking up the steps of the school.

"Tony, Pepper there you guys are," Rhodey called to them as he came down the hall.

Once he was beside them he turned around and joined them as they walked back down the hall.

"What's up," Tony said as Pepper hungrily demolished her sandwich.

"Hungry?" Rhodey laughed at Pepper as she balled up the empty wrapper of the now devoured sandwich and tossed it in a trash bin as they walked passed.

"Hey this tech has my metabolism running a marathon and I haven't eat or slept in nearly 24 hours," Pepper retorted as she sipped her now nearly empty Frappuccino.

Tony smiled and pulled an enormous protein bar out of her pocket and handed it to Pepper. Since the two of them had installed the new nervous systems, they had both found that they had to eat nearly 3500 calories a day minimum to stay healthy and that wasn't even including the calories they burnt training or crime fighting. Not that either of them cared seeing as all it did was remove time allotted for mundane exercising from their full schedule so that they had more time for training and doing their 'jobs'.

"I'm sorry but you guys are crazy for doing that to yourselves," Rhodey shook his head as the 500 calorie meal bar disappeared.

"The benefits outweigh the risks," Tony said as he bit into his own protein bar, "Being able to fly even without the suit is pretty cool and not to mention being able to access satellites and computers with your mind."

"Ya-da, Ya-da, we know, you think your awesome," Rhodey laughed before excusing himself as the first bell rang, "See you guys at lunch. That is if Pepper hasn't eaten the cafeteria."

With Rhodey's disappearance Whitney decided to insert herself into the trio.

"Hey Tony, I was wondering if you wanted to go out to a club with me tonight," Whitney asked, her manicured hand resting flirtatiously on his muscular bicep.

"Uh, I'm a bit bus-"

"He'd love to come," Pepper answered for him, "I'm always saying you need a better social life, aren't I Tony."

Whitney stared at the girl who usually hated her on principle and would have normally refused to even allow Tony to think about it.

"I guess," Tony said looking sideways at Pepper in confusion.

"That settles it, pick him up at eight," Pepper announced to the thoroughly astonished Whitney before dragging Tony off down the hall and pushing him into his class before running across the hall into her own homeroom.

Pepper Potts was weird.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

At first Tony had been very surprised and even a little pissed that his fiancée had forcibly set him up on a date with a girl he did not particularly like.

Using the Comm link built into his nervous system he had contacted her, fully intending to give her a piece of his mind. Luckily she was only across the hall, because the link didn't work if you were more than 500 feet away, if you were you'd have to speak out loud.

"What the hell, Pepper," he mentally yelled at her across the hall.

"Calm down Tony, don't you get it. This is the perfect opportunity. You know how Rhodey keeps asking where you and I have been disappearing to and how he keeps trying to follow us," Pepper thought to him as she pretended to take notes.

She was half way done with a design sketch for a gun she was going to have Tony make her.

"I guess yeah, but what does that have to do with you making me go on a date with Whitney," Tony grumbled.

"Here's the plan. You tell Rhodey and his mom that you're going on a date with Whitney, she'll come pick you up at eight and take you to the party. You pretend not to feel well and ditch her in the crowd or something. Once you leave the party, I'll contact you and tell you where to meet me for a little rendezvous and Rhodey won't even think to follow us. It's perfect," Pepper explained.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It had gone pretty smoothly too. Other than Rhodey's suspicion that had been way laid when Whitney had appeared at the front door, Tony had gotten through the first hour of the plan without a problem.

Unless of course you count Whitney trying to grind him on the dance floor as he waited for Peppers call.

"CornflakesMaster this is Redhot we are a go," Pepper giggled through the audio link. She was within 500 feet. Tapping into her GPS locator, he found that she was waiting in the alley next to the Club which conveniently could be reached inconspicuously via a tiny emergency exit window.

"One sec Whitney I'm feeling a little nauseous, I'll be right back," Tony told the now pouting Whitney who followed him off the dance floor but was stopped from following him further as he entered the men's room.

"CornflakesMaster? I understand Redhot cause your name is Pepper and you are hot but where the hell did CornflakesMaster come from," Tony said as he entered the stall beneath the small emergency exit window and used his gravity gyro's to float up through it. In retrospect he really should have locked the stall.

"Hmm, I'd have thought it was obvious next time I'll just call you Tony the Tiger," Pepper considered amusedly.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Back in the club Whitney was waiting outside the men's restroom impatiently when she got a sudden idea. Making sure no one was looking she pushed her back against the door and slipped into the bathroom.

"Tonyyy," Whitney called seductively into the empty bathroom, "I just thought of something we could do instead of dancing."

Odd all the stalls were open and the urinals were free.

"Tony?"

Looking up she saw his red converse and jeans in the alleyway.

Boosting herself up after locking the stall she peeked out of the window to see Tony kissing an athletic looking woman with black hair that wore a black miniskirt and white leather corset.

"Babe, let's get out of here. It was worth it to get Rhodey off our trail but if I have to dance with Whitney one more time I'm gonna barf," Tony said as he pulled the helmet the woman offered him over his head.

Whitney realized that the pair were standing next to a white motorcycle.

"Sure thing, I know how to take your mind off that skank and it involves the fact that I'm not wearing a bra," the woman giggled as she pulled her own helmet on and jumped onto the back of the bike, wrapping her arms around Tony as she did.

The bike disappeared out of the alley,

"ASSHOLE," Whitney screamed as she jumped off the toilet and exited the stall, only to be confronted by a security guard who had seen her enter the bathroom.

"Yeah, everyone has one. Come on lady, I don't know who you were going to meet in here but this club has a strict no sex in the bathroom rule," the Security guard said as he grabbed her by the arm and escorted her out of the bathroom and then the club.

Seething from the humiliation and anger she pulled out her cellphone and called Rhodey. If they thought they were gonna 'lose' him then she'd set him right back on their trail.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rhodey wasn't really angry that his best friend had once again lied to him, okay maybe a little but more than anything he was suspicious as to where it was that the boy he thought of as a brother kept disappearing to.

He was only more suspicious now that Whitney had confirmed that Tony was in fact hiding something, but what did it have to do with the black haired woman Whitney had whined about.

The weirdest part was that every time Tony went on one of these excursions, he was completely untraceable. It was almost as if he was purposely trying to stop anyone from tracking him.

This time would be different though. This time Rhodey had thought ahead and realizing that this might just be another of Tony's disappearing acts, he had attached a tiny tracing chip onto the back of Tony's shirt collar. It was too small to be thought of as anything but lint, ironic how one of Tony's own inventions would be used against him.

As Rhodey followed the signal down the east coast of the U.S in the War Machine armor he was rather surprised that the trail had veered off into international waters and stopped an hour ago on a tiny island about ten miles from Bermuda.

"Tony, I don't know what you're upto, but I swear to god," Rhodey grumbled to himself as he flew towards the mansion he had tracked Tony to.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Still wearing the black haired disguise, Pepper rode Tony with a back and forth rocking motion.

"Pepper, fuck," Tony moaned as he pulled her horizontal onto his chest and kissed her.

Pulling away with a smirk she scolded him, "My name is Carolina," Pepper replied reminding her fiancé of the cover story they had come up with in case they got caught.

She even had the fake ID to go with it. It said that she was Carolina Salt age 18 and a wealthy heiress.

They had created the alter-ego in the scenario that someone caught them together. It was perfect, even if they wanted to, Tony's enemies wouldn't be able to kidnap someone who didn't exist.

"You are way too into the spy business, Carolina," Tony laughed as he put emphasis on the name.

"It's rather a lot of fun, if I do say so myself," Pepper laughed as Tony kissed her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Outside Rhodey hovered in the War Machine armor trying to figure out what Tony could be doing in the house.

So far his listening devices couldn't penetrate the house, nor could his many different vision options. The only thing left to do was go in and find out, and so he did. Turning off his auxiliary boosters he quietly landed on the upper balcony and stepped through the open doors.

Facing away from him he could see the back of a naked woman with black hair that was straddling a grinning Tony.

"You are way too into the spy business Carolina," Tony laughed, oblivious to Rhodey's presence.

"It's rather a lot of fun, if I do say so myself," the woman named Carolina answered.

"And I think you have a lot of explaining to do," Rhodey announced his position, causing the woman to squeal in shock and grab the sheet to cover herself with.

Tony cursed like a sailor as he recognized Rhodey's armored figure silhouetted in the open French doors.

"What the fuck, dude," Tony said as he pulled on is boxers beneath the covers and jumped out of bed.

"I could say the same," Rhodey snapped, "You're my best friend and you can't even tell me you have a girlfriend."

"It was for HER safety, the less people know about her, the safer she is," Tony protested, Pepper who had just finished pulling on the corset from earlier had jumped out of the bed, her lower half only covered in scanty black lace panties.

"Tony, I'm going to in the bathroom getting dressed," Pepper said mentally as her face gave him a silent plead, "_get rid of him and stick to the story_."

"Uh, hey Rhodey," Tony said out loud, causing Rhodey to stare at him.

"Try to calm your heart down he'll know your lying," Pepper said mentally.

"Could you wait in the living room, we need to finish getting dressed," Tony requested.

"Fine but don't take too long, I want explanations," Rhodey said, as he left the room via the door to the inner hall.

As soon as he was gone Pepper exited the bathroom dressed in tight leather pants and the white corset from earlier.

"It's been nearly seven months Tony, and personally I don't think that Rhodey is really a danger to either of our safeties," Pepper argued as she pulled on her skirt and walked out into the hall , "But I don't want to chance what we have."

"Agreed, Carolina and remember we've been dating seven months and you work for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony said as he finished dressing and headed out after her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You mean to tell me that for the last seven months you've been sneaking around behind my back having a secret relationship, got engaged, and have this secret base," Rhodey asked incredulously.

Pepper and Tony were sitting on the couch across from him. He was no longer wearing the armor as he sat stunned in a recliner.

"That's pretty much it," Tony said.

"WHY didn't you tell me about this," Rhodey asked more confused than angry, "Why are you even hiding it."

"Rhodey, I'm a billionaire. Regardless of who I date they'd be in danger of ransom plots and that's not even to mention the fact that as Tony Stark and Iron Man, I have a lot of dangerous enemies that would love to get their hands on someone as close to me as Carolina is," Tony said.

"I get that, but I wouldn't have told. Don't you trust me," Rhodey asked.

"Of course Rhodey, but I couldn't take chances with her safety. The less people that knew the better, and I figured if only the two of us knew, then only the two of us would be responsible for the secret. Besides now that she's able to defend herself against the kind of enemies I have I'm not so worried anymore," Tony explained.

"What do you mean now that's she's able to defend herself," Rhodey said.

"He gave me the N.I. like he and your friend Pepper have," Pepper answered.

"You must be serious then, if he did that and told you about his being Ironman.

"I love her Rhodey, I'm more than serious," Tony responded, "A-are you angry at me?"

"No, now tell me, when's the wedding," Rhodey asked.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

AN: Pleeeease review!


	7. Dessert Debacle

Chapter 7

"Has anyone seen Tony," Whitney asked.

After having been ditched by the billionaire on their date the previous week, Whitney had meticulously planned out the mode of humiliation.

"Yeah he's right over there," Happy pointed helpfully at Tony who was rummaging through his locker.

Clearing her throat, she strode towards, prepared to ruin his reputation and in doing so make it so no girl but her would want to touch him.

"YOU ASSHOLE," Whitney screamed loudly as she reached Tony and promptly slapped him across the face, "YOU THINK YOU CAN SLEEP WITH ME AND THEN NOT EVEN TALK TO ME FOR A WEEK."

"Wait what?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Pepper was about to exit the restroom she had been fixing her make up in, when she hear Whitney's shout.

For a moment she wondered who the jerk was when she heard her fiancé's confused voice.

"Wait what?"

If it hadn't been for their telepathic connection, Pepper might have actually been suspicious of the circumstance, but his thoughts rang true in her head.

Checking to see if the restroom was free of witnesses she brought up her, Caroline Salt, disguise. Her normal clothes were replaced by black leather short shorts, her red hair turned ebony, her brown eyes turned blue, her converse became knee high black leather boots, and her pink top turn into a red halter top.

It was for the wow affect sure, but it would also take the lying little bitch down a peg or two.

Pushing the door open, she used her sexiest walk as she approached her boyfriend.

0-0-0-0-0

The occupants of the Hall were staring at Whitney and Tony after the loud slap and accusation.

"Don't act like you have no idea what I'm talking about, last Saturday night, you had sex with me, you told me you loved me and you said we would always be together," Whitney lied with an angry façade.

"What is going on here," a woman's voice came from behind, causing the occupants of the hall to swivel their attention to the source.

A sexily dressed, black haired woman wearing leather shorts and a red halter top stood with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised.

"YOU," was all Whitney could manage as she recognized the woman that had whisked her Tony away.

"Yes me, no if you would step away from my boyfriend, I won't be forced to loosen your teeth," Salt said as she walked around Whitney and wrapped an arm around her fiancé, "Tony who is bitch and why is she causing a scene."

Whitney smiled suddenly as she saw an opening to expand her plan, "Your boyfriend slept with me on Saturday night at the Dragon Club."

The crowd gasped as the black haired woman's eyes narrowed.

"I find that hard to believe seeing as he was with me all night Saturday at my chateau," Salt said truthfully, "Now I have to get to work so if you would stop trying to poach other people's boyfriends you blonde little slut then I'll be able to finish kissing my boyfriend goodbye and get on with my day."

Salt turned to Tony and grabbing his shirt, pulled him into a deep passionate kiss that had more than its fair share of tongue.

"Later babe," Salt said as she broke the kiss and started walking to the exit. The hall's occupants just stared as she disappeared out the doors.

"WHOAAAA, man who was that absolute babe," Happy asked as soon as the hall returned to its normal pace. Whitney had run off embarrassed.

"Her name is Caroline she's my girlfriend," Tony replied as the bell rang. Pepper ran through doors that Salt had disappeared through.

She merely smiled at him as she ran past and into her homeroom. Tony shook his head at her antics, his fiancée was certainly one of a kind.

0-0-0-0-0

That afternoon after school War machine and Iron man could be found standing with the police outside the First National Bank. Several armed robbers had taken the people within the bank hostage and were threatening to blow them up if they weren't given a helicopter.

"Iron man, is it at all possible for you to enter the bank and save the hostages," the chief of police asked the smaller red and gold figure.

"Yes, but they could blow the building sky high before I even got past the door," Ironman said, "However there is a new member of my team that would be able to get in and out without a problem."

"Another iron man?" Chief Martin asked.

"Not exactly," a feminine voice said from behind him.

The chief whirled around to find the infamous Madam Masque behind him. His gun immediately aimed for the woman who lifted her hands in surrender.

"Madam Masque! Y-y-y-you're under arrest for theft, battery, breakin—"

"Chief this isn't Madam Masque," Iron man placated, "The thief you're thinking about, stole my technology before it was finished and nearly killed herself with it. Suffice to say Madam Masque is no more. This is the third member of my team Masquerade, unlike Madam Masque who only had the mask, Masquerade is the finished product and might I add on our side.

Jake Martin lowered his gun and scrutinized the woman in front of him. She was shorter than Madam Masque and instead of a blue cloth body suit she wore a skin tight black metal and leather combat suit. The famous Masque was no longer pointed and instead of the light gold color that was so well known, the mask was now a rounded matte silver. Black bangs hung over the top of the mask that showed blue eyes. The criminals black boots had been changed to silver in the new model.

"She does look different," the Chief conceded as he holstered his gun, "If you sure she's clean."

"Positive, she's saved my life more times than I can count," Ironman confirmed as War machine nodded.

"Alright what's the plan."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Pepper snuck through the storm drain tunnel towards the bank with her stunner at the ready.

Every hundred feet there were a manhole covers, dotting the tunnel's ceiling. Following the schematics in her peripheral vision she stopped at the sixth cover and began climbing up the ladder to the top.

With her enhanced strength she pushed the manhole cover to the side and pulled herself out of the drain.

Tapping into the security camera feeds for the bank; Pepper left the maintenance closet and headed straight for the non-camera scrutinized stairway.

"I'm in," Masquerade transmitted back to Tony and the Police task force. Her gravity gyro's switched on allowing her to float silently up the stairs.

"The security camera's show that there is a single armed guard on the other side of the ground floor stair entry," Iron man answered.

"Roger that," Pepper whispered in reply as she landed quietly by the aforementioned door. The door had a small rectangular window that allowed her to see her quarry. Scanning him quickly she pulled up a duplicate hologram complete with the submachine gun in the man's arm.

Knock knock, she thumped her metal knuckles on the wooden door. The confused brunet robber opened the door cautiously as he tried to ascertain the source of the knock.

A hand shot out of the shadows and pulled the guard the rest of the way into the stairwell, allowing the door to shut behind him.

The criminal was on the floor unconscious a moment later as Pepper holstered her stunner, pressed the robber's ear piece into her ear and exited the stairwell.

"Haskle, why'd you leave your post?" a voice came over the ear com.

"Sorry, I thought I heard something, it was just a rat," Haskle's voice came from Pepper's voice modulator as she saluted the security camera across the hall.

It was clear that Tony had been right in his theory that the robbers had taken over the security office.

"Whatever, it's almost time to go, get up to the lobby and help us tie up the hostages," the voice ordered.

"Roger that," Pepper answered as she followed the schematics for the building to the lobby to find 21 hostages lying face down on the floor with their hands over their heads.

"Oi, Haskle," a gruff voice belonging to a black bearded bald man said.

"Yeah, what do you want me to do," Pepper said.

"Gather up the hostages, use these wrist ties and stick them in a corner," the bearded man instructed, "If they move, shoot them."

Pepper rounded the nearly two dozen people up and ushered them to the corner nearest the doors. Bending down behind a large young man, she pretended to tie the twenty something year olds wrists. His glare told her that her holograph was holding. She leaned in close to his ear.

"My name is Masquerade, I'm with the police. I have weakened the ties I put on you when I scratch my ear you are to break free and lead the others out of the bank. I will distract the others. Move your thumbs if you understand."

His thumb moved hesitantly.

"Good these people's lives are in your hands," Masquerade said as she left his ear and continued on to tie the rest with the ties she had weakened with her laser tool. They wouldn't know who she was or even that she wasn't a robber; they might slip up and get everyone killed. It was up to the first young man to get them out unharmed.

"Boss, I'm done," Pepper announced as she left the group of hostages.

"Good," the bearded man said. He didn't deny it; that confirmed her suspicion that he was in charge.

"How are we getting out of here," Pepper asked.

"I negotiated a helicopter out of the cops," the bearded man boasted, "We'll need to keep one of the hostages to make sure we aren't followed."

Pepper shifted her eyes towards the adjacent hall and her currently green eyes widened in surprise, "Boss, I could have sworn I just saw a couple of cops run across the hall."

"WHAT, those damn pigs are NOT FUCKING taking my money," the bearded man snarled and ran down the hall. Pepper scratched her ear in clear view of the hostages before running after the man.

Halfway down the hall the 'boss' had yet to find anyone, "Are you sure you saw a cop?"

"Unless, our colleagues are creeping around yeah," Pepper said trying to ascertain the number of robbers she had to work with.

"Colleagues? Haskle do you have a screw loose, we already shot those idiots as soon as they opened the vault for us. Remember 'the few cuts the larger the shares'. Which reminds me, sorry old friend," the bearded man said as he pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it at Peppers head.

Pepper dropped into a low swing kick and knocked his knees out from beneath him. Thrusting her own knee into his chest to pin him to the floor, her fist jabbed out and broke his nose knocking him unconscious.

The next moment she was standing over him, his gun in her hand and her foot on his chest.

"Target is down, I have the bank," Pepper said over the commlink and smiled as she heard the applause and cheer of the cops.

With her enhanced strength she lifted the large man up and tossed him over her shoulder so she could carry him out the doors, her Haskle disguise still in place.

As she approached an ambulance where one of the hostages was being treated for shock, the hostage screamed and pointed at 'him' as she dumped the robber onto a gurney.

"He's one of the robbers get him," the elderly woman shouted fearfully.

A hand landed on her shoulder from behind.

"Thank god, Iron man, take him away," the former hostage said thankfully.

"Ma'am this she isn't a robber, she works with me. She's the one who caught the real robbers," Iron man corrected.

"She?" asked the elderly woman.

"Yes she," Masquerade said as her 'Haskle' holograph disintegrated and her masked female form returned.

"Sorry if I scared you, I had to distract the robbers so you could escape," Masquerade informed.

"Oh my, well…thank you then," the old woman replied confusion on her face as Iron man's gloved hand absentmindedly went from masquerade's shoulder to her waist.

"Well, it's time for us to go," Ironman said as he started floating up pulling Masquerade with him. A moment later the pair disappeared in a sonic boom.

0-0-0

They had ditched Rhodey and headed straight for the base that Pepper had jokingly designated 'The Chateau' .

"My dad expects me home by 8," Pepper announced as she pulled out two bowls from a kitchen cabinet and began filling them with scoops from a container of chocolate ice cream. Once the bowls were filled to her satisfaction she picked up the can of whip cream and topped them.

"No problem that gives us three hours here and 20 minutes to fly home," Tony figured as used his finger scoop up some whip cream and dab it onto Peppers nose.

"That's your bowl," she said as she smiled and wiped the whip cream away.

"So that's how it works," Tony grinned as he stuck his finger in the other bowl and scooped the whip cream off.

"Hey!"

The redhead snatched her bowl away before he could abduct anymore of the precious cream.

"What I thought that if I stuck my finger in it, it belonged to me," Tony smirked, "It worked with you."

"Oh well if that's the case," she grinned.

Red hair oscillated in color to bright playful pink as her hand landed in the other defiled bowl of ice cream whose contents were subsequently scooped up and flung at Tony's chest.

"HEY," Tony shouted he wiped at the ice cream on his shirt, smearing it in his attempt to clear it.

"Hay is for horses this is ice cream," Pepper laughed as she threw the other bowls contents at him, this time hitting him in the face. Her hair turned to the black of Caroline as she remembered in the back of her mind that she wasn't supposed to be herself while she was here.

In her moment of thought Tony reached his own hand into the still open 5 gallon container of ice cream and retrieved his own ammo.

Pepper realizing that she had started a war armed herself with the whip cream spray can and fired just as Tony lobbed a large handful of the cold dessert at her.

Splat, it hit her dead in the chest and slid down her stomach.

"COOOLD," Pepper cried as her own attack left a slash of foamy white across her fiancé's mouth and cheek.

Shaking his head Tony chuckled, "Maybe we should stop while we're ahead."

"That's probably a good idea," she agreed as she picked up the now empty bowls and started walking them to the dishwasher.

Once they were in and had started washing she stood up intent on heading up to the master bedroom and changing out of her ruined clothes.

AIIIIIYAAAA.

Cold slime dripped down the back of her shirt.

"Tsk. Ms. Salt you fell for such an obvious bluff," Tony smiled as she squirted chocolate sauce down her back that he had found in the well-stocked pantry.

"NO FAIR," Pepper squealed as the line of syrup traveled up to her neck.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you," Tony started as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, "Life isn't fair."

He began licking and nibbling at the line of syrup that covered her creamy neck.

"Let's make it fair," Pepper said with a breathless moan. Twisting in his grasp she pushed him against the island in the middle of the kitchen.

He let out a growl as she licked the remaining whip cream from his cheek and pulled her to his lips. His sticky hands slid through a film of chocolate ice cream as he lifted her shirt up her back over her head.

"It tastes better with skin," Tony explained as she smiled and helped pull his shirt off.

Melted ice cream had soaked through their clothing and coated their skin a chocolate film.

"Yummy," she said as her hand ran from his shoulder to his abs through the slick liquid, "But it needs a little something extra. She dropped to the tile floor and retrieved the bottle of chocolate syrup and squeeze the majority of the contents at him.

Having ducked the syrup only caught his shoulder but it covered half the island and a good portion of the floor and sliding glass door that led out to the beach.

"Naughty naughty," Tony laughed as he grabbed the whip cream bottle and sprayed her with it.

Her martial arts training kicked in and instead of hitting her; the white topping made random coils over the cabinets behind her.

"HA!" she laughed triumphantly as she opened the refrigerator door and ducked behind it. Quickly searching the cold storage box she found a container of sliced strawberries. Perfect.

Not wanting to chance getting hit by her opponent she pelted the fruit in the direction he had last been.

She could hear the splatting but was wary when none of the hits elicited a human reaction. Bracing herself for reprisal she popped her head up over the refrigerator door to find the area she had pelted empty of her target.

AAAAAIYA, COOOOLD.

Tony had gone around the island while she was searching for ammo and dumped the rest of the five gallon ice cream tub on her.

It was everywhere down her back, in her hair, down her front, her arms, her legs and all over the floor.

She slipped in the slippery treat as she tried to spin around and ended up lying on her back in the slowly melting puddle of chocolate.

"Now I have you right where I want you," Tony grinned. Pepper grinned back as her hand shot back into the still open fridge and returned with an open container of raspberry jello which she tossed at him catching him by surprise and painting the white ceiling bright pink.

"Oops," she laughed as Tony's eyes flashed with playful fake anger.

"I'll get you for that," he promised as reached down and pulled her to her feet, shut the refrigerator door and pushed her up against it.

"Why Tony you wouldn't hurt a poor defenseless girl would you," Pepper said using her best fearful look that made Tony hesitate for a moment. Her look of fear quickly changed to a smirk as she turned on her gyros and launched them both through the air, landing a bit roughly with her straddling him on the dessert covered island.

"You need less clothes," Tony growled suddenly as he flipper her over and ripped her ruined skirt off with his enhanced strength.

"I'd say the same but that'd mean waiting," Pepper moaned as he ground against her heat through her ruined thong. Flipping them back over so that she was on top she stood up, towering of him on the island and quickly shimmied her panties off and tossed them on the light fixture near the sliding glass door.

Dropping back into a straddle she reached into his boxers and freed his throbbing erection from the easy access flap of his boxers. Giving him a few strokes she lined his member up and sank tightly on to him.

"Fuck!" Tony said as she began bouncing and rolling her snatch on his bucking cock.

"God that feels good," she moaned as she sat all the way down and enjoyed the stretching sensation that came from having his meaty cock hit her cervix as his tightening balls were pressed against her shaved pussy.

She pulled herself off him entirely, hopped off the island and reached into Tony's discarded wallet as he quickly removed his boxers and threw them onto the small two person table by the door.

A moment later she was back on the island this time straddling his legs as she opened the foil packet in her hand and popped the contents into her mouth. With a closed smiled Pepper wrapped her hand around his twitching erection and leaned down. Her lips pressed against the head forcing a moan from him as his talented lover pushed her lips around his member until her nose was in the small patch of curls at its base. Sucking on her way up she undulated her hot tongue as she removed the heat of her mouth from his cock.

She grinned at him once she was done, where her mouth had been a moment before was now covered in a black ribbed condom.

"Fuck your talented," Tony groaned as he grabbed her and flipped her over so that he was between her legs. Staring into her eyes he slowly licked the film of chocolate from her navel, past the cloth of her bra and to her neck where he began sucking and kissing.

Pepper gasped as her attention went from what he was doing to her neck to his sudden intrusion in her clenching channel.

She loved the speed and stamina the integrated technology gave him as he began to piston into her with fast deep strokes.

Her muscles tightened as her vaginal walls pulled on the pleasurable ribs of the condom.

"TOOOONY, GOD HARDER," she begged and was immediately obliged as he slammed into her a wet smacking noise filling the air as their pelvises clashed.

He was close so he pushed harder into her pushing the frontal bone of his pelvis against her clit and ground it side to side until her walls clenched so tightly that he exploded into the condom.

She moaned as she felt the condom balloon inside her from his spent load. He never left her unsatisfied so she wasn't surprised when he continued to thrust into as her walls clenched tighter and tighter around his thick pulsing cock.

"FUUUUUUUUCK YESSS," Pepper cried out as she came, she was a screamer they had found that out after her nerve endings were enhanced.

0-0-0-0-0

Tony wasn't answering his phone for the umpteenth time.

Roberta was angry that Tony had said he would be home by six to fill out paper work about Stark International and it was nearly seven now.

Thus Rhodey was speeding towards the island home of Caroline Salt, where he knew he was most likely to find his AWOL friend.

He landed near the kitchen which was the only place that was lit in the entire house.

Pulling back his helmets face he opened the unlocked glass door and stepped into the kitchen. A pair of wet boxers were draped haphazardly on a small two person table while a pair of…chocolate soaked panties were hanging from a wall light.

"Tony…Caroline?" Rhodey called as he stared at the destroyed kitchen. The ceiling was covered by a pink gel, almost every surface was covered by liquid that smelled strongly of chocolate and melted whip cream ran in ropes over a row of cabinets.

"FUCK, uh Rhodey can you turn around we aren't exactly dressed," Tony called out as his head popped up from behind the island.

Tony and Pepper had ended up on the kitchen floor after nearly two hours of satiating each other on miscellaneous surfaces in the kitchen.

Rhodey turned around and stared out at the lapping water.

All of Pepper's clothes were either ripped or (the thong) hanging next to Rhodey's exasperated figure.

Not willing to her powers of disguise to cover herself in case Rhodey got suspicious she grabbed Tony's chocolate covered shirt and pulled it over head. Tony grinned conspiratorially at her as he pulled on his jeans without any boxers.

"We're as presentable as possible Rhodey," Tony said, "Can I asked why you're here."

"Because you promised my mom you'd meet her at six and it's now seven ten," Rhodey replied, "Though I can't blame you, if I had to decide between having sex with a hot girl and filling out paperwork I would have too. However my mom is going to kill both of us, so I'm here to drag your sorry ass back so she spares me."

"Traitor," Tony laughed, "Sorry about that buddy we got side tracked. Do you mind if grab a quick shower and get dressed."

"Just hurry."

Tony and Caroline hurried out of the room prepared to share a shower as they both had to be home soon and there wasn't time to have separate showers.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"You need to take responsibility, Tony, you're almost eighteen and you're going to take over a multi-billion dollar corporation. You can't keep running around with a different girl every week and missing meetings," Roberta scolded Tony.

"Sorry, I just got carried away," Tony apologized to his surrogate mother, inwardly he smiled, he HAD gotten carried away.

"Just don't do it again, alright. You really need to do some serious maturing if you plan on taking over the company if a few months and WHY do you smell like a strawberry fudge sundae?"

"It's a new shampoo?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Hope you guys like this I know I haven't updated in a while sorry


	8. Desert Debacle

I wrote the last chapter because something very similar happened to me ;) yay black ribbed condoms hehehe

Chapter 8

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Couldn't you at least give me some news from the outside world?

This question had gotten Howard Stark a weekly newspaper.

0-0-0-0-0-0

A week after the chocolate fiasco, Tony found himself tied to a steel chair with chains in Mexico.

"Who are you and what were you doing sneaking around my home," the woman in tight black leather demanded as she flexed her hands from the last punch she had given Tony's jaw.

"My name is Alex Sawyer, I was sent here by the Columbian cartel to see if you were a threat to their operations or a potential ally," Tony lied hoping to extract information from his target.

"Columbian you say," the woman asked suddenly eager, "For your sake your partner had better tell the same story."

They had come to the home of Catalina Sanchez in hopes of finding information about his father. Pepper had uncovered a rumor that the Latino woman had tied with Gene Khan and the Tongs as well as a number of other criminal organizations.

He could feel Peppers presence on the other side of the sound proof wall. Unfortunately for Catalina sounds proof walls don't prevent telepathy.

'Pepper, we are from the Columbian Cartel and we are here to see if she is a threat or an ally to the operation. Don't use those exact words and make it believable, I don't want either of us to get shot or to have to reveal our identities.'

Her confirmation came a second later but she didn't continue as Catalina entered Pepper's interrogation cell.

0-0-0-0

"So you partner tells me that you work for the Argentinian Cartel is this true," Sanchez tested.

"Then you have been misinformed, my partner and I work for the Columbian Cartel and they will not take kindly to your treatment of us," Pepper countered smoothly.

"I see and what is your name," Sanchez asked.

"Caroline, Caroline Salt," she answered her ebony hair bouncing as she tried to readjust the position of her arms.

"Very well, I will take you to join your partner," Sanchez deliberated, "We shall talk about my potential to be…an ally."

0-0-0-0-0

Damn you Tony.

This was all Rhodey could think as he sat in his second period texting Tony's number to no avail. The seat Tony normally sat in next to him was currently empty, something that the teacher had notices.

His friend had texted him earlier but hadn't answered in nearly an hour. He was unsure if he should call him. He knew that text would be received silently but a call might actually ring and depending on where Tony was that could be a disaster.

Rhodey: Tony man where are you

Tony: Enjoying a Margarita at the beach

Damn, that was code for on an out of country mission.

Rhodey: are you going to be back in time for school

Tony: Not sure

Rhodey: Which beach?

Rhodey: Hello, dude?

Rhodey: Tony are you ok?

Rhodey: Should I come get you?

"Mr. Rhodes, hand it over," his stern English teacher demanded with her hand out stretched for his cell phone.

"I won't do it again," Rhodey said hoping she's back off and he could keep his phone.

"I didn't ask if you were going to do it again," Mrs. Trendle said, "Now hand it over so we can see who exactly it is that is holding your attention when it should be on me."

Before Rhodey could think the gray haired teacher picked it from his hand.

"I see Mr. Stark is enjoying himself," the teacher said sourly. She was notorious for her dislike of Tony Stark and his tendency to skip school, "Perhaps we ought to call him and ask why he isn't in school."

The last part was asked to the class who laughed and nodded, they always enjoyed it when Mrs. Trendle called out someone for breaking the rules.

"Mrs. Trendle Tony doesn't feel well that's why he isn't here," Rhodey tried to divert her as she scrolled through his messages.

"Nice try Mr. Rhodes, he obviously doesn't feel too badly as he's at the beach and enjoying alcohol, something I intend to talk to your Mother about," she answered as she proceeded to press the call number button and hit speaker phone.

It rang once.

It rang twice.

"Hello who is this," a woman's voice answered.

"Is Tony Stark there I need to speak to him," Mrs. Trendle requested his face obviously showing her disgust as she thought Tony was WITH a woman.

"Tony Stark? As in the billionaire teenager Tony Stark?"

"Yes, that's him may I talk to him."

"Well this is an interesting turn of events, I'll put you on speaker phone," the accented voice said.

"You say your name is Alex Sawyer, I do not like to be lied to. I thought you looked familiar but your real identity is far more useful to me than a simple lacky that works for the Columbian drug cartel. SO tell me what is your partner's real name. Is it really Caroline Salt?"

"Ma'am, hello, what are you talking about," Mrs. Trendle asked confused.

"Excuse my rudeness, you see an hour ago I found a young man and a young woman rifling through my private files and when I had them detained they told me their names were Alex Sawyer and Caroline Salt. Can you tell me why a billionaire playboy just broke into my mansion?"

"WHAT, uh I always knew he was a delinquent," Mrs. Trendle said over the speakerphone, the entire class was listening with rapt attention, "Call the police and they'll deal with him."

"That is where we'll disagree, you see I don't take it lightly when someone breaks into my sanctuary so I'm going to let you enjoy there screams as they die a very painful death."

"WAIT, WAIT STOP I can wire you 5 million dollars within an hour if you spare his life," Rhodey suddenly blurted.

"This is an interesting turn of event," the woman said, "What about the woman?"

"Uh, the same ten million for both."

"I shall call you back in twenty minutes with the account number and information needed for you to wire me the money," the woman said before ending the call.

"Fuck," Rhodey said under his breath before grabbing his phone from the teacher's shocked hand and dialing another number given to him by Tony.

"Hello, This is James Rhodes this is a code red, Tony has been taken I was unable to trace the call. His captor wants ten million dollars for both Tony and the woman he is with."

The speakerphone was off so the conversation was only heard from one side. The class was listening intently to the on goings.

"I'm not sure where he is but earlier he used the code words Margarita and Beach does this mean anything to you?" Rhodey asked before pausing to listen to the reply.

"Mexico, why the hell is he in Mexico?"

"Whatever just find them and bring them home."

Rhodey ended the call and turned to look at Mrs. Trendle.

"If he dies because you made that call, I swear to god," was all he said as he yanked the classroom door open and ran down the hall as he called his mother.

0-0-0-0-0

He found Pepper's phone charging in the armory but no Pepper. Damn, that girl she could be anywhere.

Currently he was aboard the shield heli-carrier standing next to his mother who had bullied her way on as Tony's legal guardian.

"Why is Tony's disappearance even ON Shield's radar, don't they deal with supernatural and alien attacks and espionage stuff?"

"Tony makes a lot of the technology that we use and his father designed the four engine blade fans that carry this base," Director Fury half lied as the helicarrier came to a stop over an opulent Manor on a Mexican hacienda.

From the Hellicarrier you could see into the back yard of the manor where two figures that were back to back fought against twelve men with guns gas they came at them six from either side.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Downloading a refresher course in Tae Kwando Tony ducked down and struck out at the nearest gun man, dodging the round of bullets that came from his gun as his own leg shattered the patella and femur of his attacker.

Snatching up the gun from the fallen gun man, Pepper let loose an expertly aimed round into the unprotected legs of six of the attackers dropping them immediately.

Tony grabbed a flash bang from one of the downed gun men an pulled the ring from it as he threw it at a cluster of three. Before it went off he signaled Pepper to cover her ears and shut her eyes.

He could feel the explosion and after the sensation dissipated only two were left standing, both of who charged at the duo guns blazing.

Tony hit the ground as he wasn't wearing any armor but Pepper shrugged the hits away as Caroline Salt as she flipped over the two gun men who were shoulder to shoulder.

Half way over their heads she jabbed a knuckle into a group of nerve at the base of each of their necks.

They hit the ground with a thud just as Pepper gracefully landed feet first behind them.

Tony stood up and completely ignored the descent of a hover car from the hellicarrier as he pulled her into a searing kiss.

"Ms. Salt you are one of a kind."

"TONY STARK!" Roberta screamed at him as he separated from his secret fiancée.

"R-Roberta? What are you doing here?" Tony asked surprised that his best friend's mother was in Mexico.

"What am I doing here? What are YOU doing here and what is going on?" Roberta shouted indignantly.

"I kind of got kidnapped," Tony half lied as he ran a hand through his hair.

"What? Are you okay," Roberta turned motherly as Tony and Caroline got into the hover car and the group started ascending to the Hellicarrier as a clean-up crew started working the scene

"Roberta, its fine we're alive," Tony placated.

"Well then, can you tell how you got to Mexico from New York when you left the house less than three hours ago and Rhodey called me and told me you were already in Mexico an hour and a half ago," Roberta accused with her patent suspicious glare.

For once the sonic jets Tony installed in all the armors wasn't an asset.

"How should we know all I remember is kissing Tony good-bye this morning and then waking up tied to a chair with Tony," Pepper lied, as she remembered very clearly flying at supersonic speeds to Mexico and breaking into Sanchez's house.

"I suppose your right," Roberta said looking at them suspiciously.

0-0-0-0-0

That night Caroline Salt disappeared and Tony, Rhodey and Pepper were in the armory.

"Your girlfriend is something else that's for sure," Rhodey announced, "The way she took down those guards was amazing. She's going to make a great Shield agent." As he said this he made sure to watch Pepper's face for the telltale signs of envy that she normally showed as such comments. Nothing.

It was strange indeed. Six months ago all signs of jealously towards women that Tony dated had mysteriously disappeared. What was odder, was that even if Pepper had gotten over her crush, she hadn't even reacted to the fact that someone other than her had been recruited into Shield.

"Pepper are you feeling alright," Rhodey asked her.

"Yeah, why would I be," Pepper said nonchalantly as she span in the swivel chair.

"You're acting like you don't care that she got into Shield. Normally you'd be ranting that it wasn't fair that it wasn't you."

Rhodey noticed Tony's smile as he stood at the holoscreen sifting through the digital data that 'Salt' had taken from Sanchez computer.

It was odd, Tony seemed closer to Pepper, more affectionate and he definitely hugged her more and yet Pepper seemed not to care that he was in a serious relationship with a beautiful woman that had the very career that Pepper had been training for since she was five.

"I've matured, is that a problem," Pepper replied as she concentrated on a fighter pilot video game.

"Never mind I'm going up to the house I'm getting tired," Rhodey lied. That was it he was tired of not knowing the secrets Pepper and Tony were hiding. He had his suspicions and he knew the only way to find out the truth was to make them think they were alone.

He left the armory but instead of going up to the house he waited outside in the cool night air, ready to open the armory door and catch them in the act.

0-0-0-0-0

"God, I thought he'd never leave," Pepper rolled her eyes, "It took all I had not to laugh when he asked if I was jealous of myself."

Director Fury was the only one who knew the Pepper, Masquerade and Caroline Salt were one in the same.

"I feel bad keeping this from him but, until we are both eighteen and in control of our lives it's for the best," Tony lamented.

Pepper grinned as Tony picked her up and resettled her in his lap as he sat in the control chair, "I thought this was for my protection?"

"It was but we both know that you can protect yourself now," Tony smiled and began nibbling at her neck, "Now all we have to worry about is your father keeping us apart and Roberta grounding me for getting engaged."

"Is that why you're letting Rhodey find out about us?" Pepper asked as she turned to straddle her fiancé's lap.

"Yes, I trust him and now that your safety isn't in question there is no reason not to tell him," Tony answered, "Plus I'm getting tired of him interrupting us."

Pepper just giggled in agreement as Tony ran a hand up the inside of her thigh and pressed a finger to her clothed clit.

"We shouldn't go too far, he's going to come back soon," Pepper warned as one of Tony's digits strayed past her panties and slipped inside her.

"I suppose your right, but you realize this means you owe me," Tony sighed as he removed his hand and put his finger to her lips. She was a kinky person to say the least, he thought as he tongue darted out and cleaned his finger before she leaned into him, her lips passionately attacking his.

0-0-0-0-0

He had waited five minutes, to allow them to think he was completely gone before he headed back inside.

He had two theories.

One Pepper was Carolina Salt using her masquerade abilities or Two Tony was being his playboy self and sleeping with both of them.

He wasn't sure which one upset him more. The fact that his friends had lied to him or the idea that the guy he considered a brother was an asshole to women and was messing with his other best friend.

Using his phone, he remotely opened the door to the armory to see Pepper straddling Tony who was sitting in the control chair.

"Ahem," Rhodey cleared his throat causing the kissing couple to separated and….smile at him?

"Hey Rhodey we were wondering when you were coming back," Tony said as he pulled Pepper's skirt back into place.

"Uh, to, but, I-I…What?"

"We decided it was safe to tell you that Pepper and I are together," Tony replied as Pepper resettled in his lap so that she was facing Rhodey.

"Sorry we didn't tell you but Tony was worried that it could be tortured out of you," Pepper added in, "But now that I'm upgraded I can take care of myself and you knowing isn't a threat anymore."

"So you ARE Caroline," Rhodey blurted trying to save face.

"Yep, don't feel bad we worked non stop for the last 7 months to keep this a secret, but now that we're engaged and I can take care of myself it doesn't matter," Pepper continued.

"Seven months? Engaged? I don't know whether to congratulate you or strangle you," Rhodey said finally rubbing the back of his head, "I guess I'm not much of a match when it comes to outsmarting you guys."

"I'm sorry we couldn't tell you, but I love Pepper too much to risk her safety," Tony said.

"Yeah, whatever. Next time you too have news tell me alright," Rhodey grumbled, "I'm going to bed for real this time. I think I'm getting a headache."

"See ya tomorrow Rhodey," Pepper yelled at his retreating back as Tony pinched her ass, "Ow, Tony no pinching, my ass is sensitive."

Rhodey decided right then and there that he was going to bleach his brain when he took a shower, he realized that he preferred NOT knowing what those two did.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

New York Times

STARK SCION SNATCHED

Criminal Reporter

Today, Tony Stark, 17, was kidnapped outside his Staten Island home early this morning by members of the Chinese Mafia. For nearly two hours no one realized the teen billionaire was missing, simply thinking he was skipping school. Luckily for him, his caring teacher called him and revealed he was in the hands of devious criminals.

S.H.I.E.L.D. an organization that works for the U.N. and prevents crimes, gallantly went to the rescue of one of their chief inventors.

Not four hours after his abduction S.H.I.E.L.D. rescued Tony and an unnamed female from a desert mansion in Mexico.

This is the teen Stark's 12th time being kidnapped in the last year, will he survive to his eighteenth birthday?

Page 6

It was a small column at the bottom of the sixth page, but the fact that his only son was kidnapped so often that it wasn't awarded more than a tiny four inch long column, worried him greatly.

Howard Stark promised himself he would escape Gene's hold and return to protect his son.

0-0-0-0-0

The next morning, after enjoying a satisfying hour with Pepper the night before, Tony found himself sitting back in his second period English class with Mrs. Trendle.

"Mr. Stark it's nice to have you back," Mrs. Trendle said with a smile, it was obvious she accredited Tony's rescue with the fact that SHE had made the call.

"No thanks to you," Tony snapped irritably. The class broke out into rumors.

"Excuse me, correct me if I'm wrong but it was the call I made that alerted the authorities to your situation was it not," Mrs. Trendle retorted smugly.

"I'll correct you alright! The call you made only alerted my captor to my true identity, I would have been perfectly fine and not shot at or have this bruised rib if you hadn't thought it would be funny to catch me 'skipping'. I'll tell you something right now, I don't skip, if I'm not here I have a reason. All you managed with your little stunt is to jeopardize precious information regarding national security," Tony said, alright the very end about national security was just because the woman had almost gotten him shot but the rest was true.

"You're a little liar," the woman huffed exasperated, "You make stories up as if your someone important just to puff up your own ego."

Tony stared at her as he felt Pepper's thought niggling in his mind, "Are you okay your vital are elevated."

"Mrs. Bitch just told me I make stories up to puff up my own ego and that she saved me yesterday," Tony growled to his fiancée.

"I have an idea one sec," Pepper replied, he could 'hear' her ask her teacher to use the restroom.

A moment later Caroline Salt walked through the door her new Shield badge in hand.

"Hello, I am Agent Salt, I need to borrow Tony for a few hours," Pepper announced, "Hey, Rhodey."

"I'm sorry but any statements from yesterday kidnapping can wait until after Tony is out of school," Mrs. Trendle snapped vindictively, she didn't like it when students upstaged her or proved her wrong and Tony Stark was doing both.

"Kidnapping? No Tony is needed to defuse a nuclear bomb that we intercepted," Pepper lied smoothly, "Every second counts."

"Bye Mrs. T, I'm going to go lie to the bomb to see if it puffs up my ego," Tony laughed as he wiggled his fingers in a mock good bye.

Out in the hallway Pepper turned to Tony, "I signed us both out using the badge," she smiled, "Wanna go to Disney world?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sorry this is short but this story is going to take a different turn soon :3 hehe


	9. Odd DNA

Review :D

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Chapter 7

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

This was bad.

No, this wasn't bad.

This was a DISASTER.

"Pepper, you're going to be late for school," Mr. Potts called through the bathroom door.

"B-be right out dad," Pepper called as she stared in horror at the pink plus sign and the eight other similar outcomes of the pregnancy tests she had just taken.

The box had said to take them in the morning to be most accurate, but for some reason it felt more like the devices creators just wanted you to start your day as badly as possible.

Not allowing any tears to leak from her eyes she tossed the demented pieces of plastic into the trash can and ran out of the bathroom.

Grabbing her backpack from the couch she called a hasty good bye to her father and sprinted out the door and jumped onto her scooter.

Barely slowing for anything but the stop signs she raced to school in search of Tony. This was not news you called and told someone.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Once again Tony was waiting next to Pepper's regular parking spot with a sandwich and coffee in hand as per their routine.

However, breaking from routine, Pepper drove up and instead of grabbing the sandwich she wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed unintelligibly into his neck.

"Pepper, shhh, Pepper it's okay, what wrong," Tony begged more than a bit scared.

Pepper never cried.

She grumbled, complained, shouted, smacked, kicked and pouted but did not cry.

In fact the only time he had ever seen her cry was when her father had picked her up from Rhodey's and told her that her Grandpa had died.

"Eight times….please d-don't hate me….too young….leave me," Pepper sobbed.

"Pepper, I can't understand a word you're saying," Tony tried to calm the distraught girl.

"A-and college….stark international….I love you please don't leave me," Pepper continued .

"Leave you, why would I leave you, Pepper I love you," Tony tried to reassure the hyperventilating girl.

"Because I'm p-pregnant," Pepper pulled away from his embrace and looked him in the eye, her body trembling with the sobs she was trying to hold back.

"Can you repeat that," Tony whispered in shock.

"I think I'm pregnant," Pepper whispered back.

"Hey Tony can I talk to you alone," Whitney as sultrily as she sauntered up to him.

Out of nowhere Pepper's arm left Tony's and decked Whitney, her amplified physiology easily knocking her to the ground.

Coming out of his stupor Tony realized what had happened and immediately dropped down next to the unconscious Whitney.

Checking for pulse and finding it he immediately stood up.

A crowd had gathered around the group.

"Pepper just hit her for no reason," someone explained to a teacher that had joined the commotion.

Fucking Snitch, I am not in the mood, Pepper thought.

"Come one Pepper," Tony said grabbing her arm and putting her on the red motorcycle before jumping on behind her and starting it.

Revving the bike the pair peeled out of the parking spot and headed for the road.

Right before Tony pulled into the street he turned to the crowd and stared at a very shocked Rhodey.

"Bermuda, Rhodey, Bermuda," he shouted cryptically.

Rhodey nodded and jumped in his own car prepared to follow.

The people of the Tomorrow Academy were used to the mysterious actions and words of Tony Stark and his two friends, all of whom randomly disappeared at odd times of the day.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Several hours later

Pepper lay on the cold metal examination table in the lab at the Bermuda Base. A very familiar sonogram device was once more in Tony's hand and Rhodey stood staring at her bare stomach.

It was definitely rounder.

This time the cold gel was being used for more conventional reasons as he spread it evenly over her stomach.

"Pepper, I want you to know that no matter what, pregnant or not, that I still love you and nothing is going to change that," Tony said locking eyes with her and he pressed the sonogram wand to her stomach.

"I love you too Tony," Pepper said as neither of them dared look at the image on the sonogram.

"Whoa, I don't know about you but that is something else," Rhodey said bringing both of their eyes to the screen.

It was a baby alright. And a rather well formed one.

"At least two months maybe three," Tony said staring at the child, his child.

"I don't understand, how could this have happened. We were careful," Pepper said still staring at the tiny figure on screen as tears welled up in her eyes.

"These things happen," Rhodey said hoping to calm her.

"No, they don't just happen. I can count on one hand the number of times we didn't use a condom and none of them was two months ago. The first was seven months ago, when were first got together. The second was five months ago, at that time in the Jacuzzi in Rio, the third was when you did the N.I. surgery one me and then not even three weeks ago when you proposed," Pepper counted off confused.

"You're right, and none of the condoms broke," Tony said the gears in his brain moving like lightning.

"Pep, sweetheart do you mind if I take a biopsy of the amniotic fluid to see what I can find out," Tony asked suddenly running out of the room suspicion etched on his face.

"Sure," Pepper answered to the air, before looking at Rhodey questioningly.

"Don't look at me he's your fiancé," Rhodey shrugged as he squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, it was like grasping granite with her hardened exterior.

Tony returned to the room holding a long thin needle.

"Whoa, wait a minute you aren't going to stick me with that are you," Pepper said suddenly worried.

"Don't worry it'll be intro-uterine, you won't feel a thing," Tony assured as he placed her feet in stirrups that were attached to the table.

A few minutes later Tony was emptying out the contents into a conical vial.

"Now I need a sample from each of you," Tony said and was rewarded with Rhodey and Pepper's offered arms.

Taking a small amount of blood he placed it into a different vial before taking a needle to his own arm and drawing a few milliliters of blood.

When he was done he placed them all in a small centrifuge.

"It'll be a minute," Tony explained.

Once the machine stopped Tony silently removed the top most layer, with a micropipette, from each. In turn he placed each sample into a gel electrophoresis vibrator and filled the different wells.

After half an hour it dinged.

"Okay guys this is the moment of truth," Tony took a deep breath and removed the gel and placed it in the chromatographer.

"Would you like the results sir," Jarvis asked.

"Y-yes Jarvis," Tony said as he held hands with Pepper.

"James Rhodes, Species Human. African-American age of sample by lysis dating, 18

Virginia Potts, Species Human. Caucasian age of sample by lysis dating, 17

Anthony Stark, Species unknown. DNA contaminated with Extremis, age of sample by lysis dating age 17

Fetus, Mother Virginia Potts, Father Anthony Stark. Species Unknown. DNA contaminated with Extremis, Age of sample by lysis dating three weeks. Gender male."

"S-Species UNKNOWN," Tony asked incredulously.

"That's fucked up," Rhodey said unsure whether to laugh or not.

"How is the baby only three weeks old, you said it was at least two months," Pepper asked confused.

"T-the test tells cellular age by observing lysising speed," Tony answered, "That means the fetus is growing at a rate of 3 times faster than normal human gestation."

"Can you repeat that in English," Rhodey asked.

"It means the it will be full term after about five months in the womb instead of nine meaning that its due in four months," Tony said the worry on his face evident.

They stayed silent for a moment.

"Is he healthy," Pepper asked quietly.

"He?" Tony asked.

"Jarvis said it was a boy. Is my son healthy," Pepper asked her eyes worried.

"Jarvis?" Tony asked as he glanced at the last picture of the fetus the sonogram had saved.

"According to the Pediatric and Gestation section of M. the baby is a perfectly formed 2.3 month old fetus and using your calculations will be due in five months on June 22nd," Jarvis announced.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rhodes estate

Rhodey and Tony were sitting side by side on the couch across from a very pissed off Mrs. Rhodes.

"Can you tell me why, I got a call from the school that your friend Pepper punched Whitney and then the three of you drove off and skipped school," Mrs. Rhodes pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We have bigger problems," Tony announced her eyebrows knitted in worry. Calm down Tony, you've fought tons of rampaging psychos, Mrs. Rhodes is your friend's mom…hopefully she won't club me to death with her fists.

"Really and pray tell what would be a bigger problem than the two of you being suspended for a week for blatant disregard for school rules," Mrs. Rhodes asked.

"Igotmyfiancéepregnant," Tony blurted really fast.

"You gatmf aunt C Pringles what does that even mean," she asked confused.

Tony took a deep breath, this woman had been like a mother to him for nearly two years now and even though he was almost an adult and had survived a number of things most people never think about he was still nervous at having to disappoint her.

"I-I got my fiancée p-pregnant," Tony said slowly.

"WHAT? PREGNANT. I TOLD YOU TO USE PROTECTION…fiancée?"

"Yeah, that's what I said," Rhodey grumbled.

"You KNEW and didn't tell me," Mrs. Rhodes exploded.

"Hey, I didn't even find out that he and Pepper even liked each other let alone that they were engaged until two days ago," Rhodey placated his angry mother, "Then they dragged me off with them this morning to get a sonogram."

"Sonogram?"

"Yeah it's this thing they use to take a picture of a baby while it's in the womb," Rhodey started.

"James shut up I had you, I know what a sonogram is. I merely meant to ask if you were able to get one," Mrs. Rhodes said as she calmed down. At least they seemed to be using their heads.

Pepper? As in the red headed girl that hung out with them all the time. She had figured they'd end up dating sooner or later but this was too much. The poor girl was probably over whelmed herself.

"Yeah, it's a boy and it's due June 22nd," Tony said with a goofy grin.

"That means Pepper's four months pregnant," Mrs. Rhodes counted back, "You've been dating Pepper for four months and didn't tell me. Why?"

"Seven actually and it was for her safety we didn't even tell Rhodey. The less people that knew we were together the less likely she'd be kidnapped or killed to get to me," Tony said quietly.

"Seven months, wow, that's some secret to keep. Do you have any more secrets I ought to know about," Mrs. Rhodes asked.

Rhodey and Tony shared a pointed look that didn't go unnoticed by the woman in front of them.

"You DO have more secrets. What on earth have you two been keeping from me," Mrs. Rhodes demanded rather scarily.

"Should we," Tony asked suddenly rather afraid of his surrogate mother.

"If we wanna live, probably, but it's a big secret man. You've risked your life to keep it safe," Rhodey offered his ambiguous advice.

"Mrs. Rhodes are you willing to keep a secret. A secret so big that if you tell anyone or even talk about it outside of a very select group it will likely get us all killed," Tony asked somberly.

"Of course I'd never do anything that risked your lives," Mrs. Rhodes answered worried about what her sons had been getting up to.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Where are we going," Mrs. Rhodes asked confused as they drove towards the mountains.

They had been driving for nearly three hours.

"Sorry about the drive, we normally fly there," Rhodey said cryptically as he mentioned the location of the Makluan Ring Temple that hid the new armory.

"Fly? How often do you guys come here," Mrs. Rhodes asked, when did they have the time to grab a plane all the way to out here in the mountains.

"Nearly every day," Tony answered shortly.

"How is it you have time to get here and back without skipping school and without me noticing," she asked nonplussed.

"You'll see soon enough. It's better to show you than to tell you," Tony replied as they pulled the car under a tree at the base of the mountain.

"Mom, we need you to wear this blindfold, so that if you're ever kidnapped our enemies can't torture the whereabouts out of you," Rhodey said as he tied a strip of black cloth around her eyes. For some reason Roberta wasn't calmed by that last sentence.

Leaning against the car so as to not fall over, she heard a soft clinking and whirring noise coming from two different places.

"Hold on this is gonna be a little disorienting," Tony said.

As soon as the words left his mouth two pieces of cold metal wrapped tightly around her torso. Before she could scream she felt the ground leave her feet and the air whip harshly against her face. Then it was over, the arms had left, the ground had returned and the air calmed.

"I'm taking the blindfold off," Rhodey said to his slightly shaken mother.

The cloth lifted and in the place that her son's voice had come from was her son's face…but it was inside a large armor that was nearly 12 feet tall and had a large missile barrel on his shoulder.

"R-Rhodey?" she asked touching his face to make sure, "You're W-war machine."

"Don't kill me," he whimpered assuming a defensive position with an arm covering his face.

Turning around and looking at her surroundings she realized that they must have flown her into this valley and right behind her was a …Japanese style temple with a redhead girl with a worried look staring over the shoulder of a red and gold robot at her.

The robot turned and revealed itself to be Iron man.

"Iron man?...I can't believe you, this is child endangerment. You can't be using children as your own personal soldiers," Mrs. Rhodes started on her righteous tangent.

The sound of metal sliding against metal came to her ears for a brief moment before she stopped and stared at the face of Tony Stark that was inside the armor.

"You're Iron man?"

"We volunteered," Pepper clarified as she pulled her legs up into a crossed position and floated comfortably above the ground.

"You too," Mrs. Rhodes asked staring as the armor that Tony was in, began shrinking until it disappeared into his skin, "What the hell are you?"

"We are not actually sure about species. I was thinking about naming it Antonius Starkus or ASs for short," Tony grinned in reply.

"Illusive Cyborg," Pepper turned her hair black without smiling, she hadn't been her usually bubbly self since they had verified she was pregnant.

"R-Rhodey?" Mrs. Rhodes asked uncertainly looking at her son.

"All human, I'm not nearly as zealous as these people. Besides I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be allowed into the military with all the crap they have in their bodies," Rhodey reassured.

"How about we go inside," Tony suggested taking Peppers hand and pulling her back to a standing position on the ground. The pair walked silently hand in hand into the temple.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"This is amazing," Mrs. Rhodes said awed as she tried to take in the entire cavernous armory.

Pepper had taken a seat in the remote chair and had logged into her system of audio/visual to take her mind off the ball of fear that had settled in her chest.

Rhodey had taken the armor off and placed it back into its storage slot.

Tony was standing next to Pepper worriedly watching her.

"Let me get this straight, you three have been fighting crime for how long," Mrs. Rhodes asked.

"Two years this August," Tony said absently as he placed his hand on Pepper's shoulder, it looked they like were having a silent conversation.

"Why one earth would you do something so…are they listening to me," Mrs. Rhodes asked Rhodey as the pair sat staring at each other.

"No they're having a telepathic conversation," Rhodey explained, "Come on, let's give them a minute." Rhodey pulled his mother to the infirmary to give her a tour.

"Tony, it's not fair I only just get off tech duty and get into the field and you want me to 'take a break'," Pepper shouted mentally, as she suddenly stood up from the odd circular chair.

"Pep, think about the baby, I don't even want to contemplate losing it to a stray bullet. You might be able to take care of yourself but the baby is vulnerable," Tony argued.

Pepper seemed to be considering his words.

"Pepper, I love you and even though it hasn't even been a whole day, I love the baby, I love my son. Please don't take this risk," Tony begged.

"What about what I want. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to reach my goal," Pepper argued tears in her eyes, "All I've ever wanted was to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and a teen mother isn't something they want on a resume."

"Please, don't abort the baby," Tony pleaded out loud grabbing her hands.

"Abort? What are you talking about I'm not going to abort my baby," Pepper said confused.

"But- you just said you'd do whatever it takes to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and that they don't want a teen mother," Tony replied confused.

"I was talking about being Masquerade, and how I didn't want the fact that I stopped because I am having a baby to affect how S.H.I.E.L.D. views me," Pepper clarified a small confused smile finally lighting her face.

"Thank god, you were scaring me for a minute there," Tony said with a chuckle and wrapped his arms around her.

"This entire conversation isn't going to matter unless we survive telling my Father," Pepper said causing Tony to stiffen in dread.

Mrs. Rhodes had calmed down when she realized that if they could handle being superheroes then they could handle being parents.

Mr. Potts on the other hand was over protective and had no idea that his daughter was the famous shape-shifting superhero Masquerade. Not that they were going to tell him that.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

All in all he had taken the information pretty well, that is if you discount the fact that the vein in his temple was throbbing comically.

"Do you mind telling me how it is my daughter came to this condition, when she doesn't even have a boyfriend," Mr. Potts said in a frighteningly calm voice that was probably used to interrogate hardened criminals.

"He-he that… that uh…my fault?" Tony stuttered, "I'm the father?"

"SOOOO, Mr. Rich boy decides to use MY daughter for some fun," Mr. Potts growled menacingly as he fingered his holstered gun.

"Daddy, stop he didn't use me, I love him and he loves me," Pepper tried to explain to her red faced father.

"SURE that's probably what he told you so that he could seduce you," Mr. Potts said darkly.

"Really, daddy, I seduced him," Pepper tried to explain and immediately regretted it as her father's eyes bulged dangerously.

"Y-you s-seduced HIM," Mr. Potts said heavily as he sank into the La-Z-Boy recliner behind him, "My little girl seduced HIM."

"Mr. Potts please, it wasn't like that, we love each other," Tony tried to placate, only to rewarded with a death glare.

"You aren't even eighteen yet, loving each other isn't going to pay the bills and I can tell you a baby is expensive," Mr. Potts retorted dejectedly, "Let me tell you right now I am not paying for anything. In fact, Pepper I'm taking you out of school and sending you to a-a Convent in…er, Switzerland."

"That's not the cover story we were going to use, when we took Pepper out of school," Tony said.

"C-cover story, no I meant that I'm going to get her away from you," Mr. Potts clarified.

"Daddy, I'm going to be eighteen in two months and I'm not going to a Convent," Pepper rolled her eyes in frustration.

Mr. Potts looked as if he was about to explode.

"I'm not paying for you to have this mistake unless you go to the convent," Mr. Potts retorted as if that ended the argument.

"Mr. Potts neither of us intended for you to have to pay a dime for our BABY. As you insinuated earlier I am not without monetary means. Your daughter and our son are not going to want for anything," Tony assured, "In fact with your permission we were hoping to be legally married so that if anything happened to me she wouldn't be left with nothing."

"Married, you're getting married because of a one night stand," Mr. Potts blanched.

"Dad, Tony and I have been together for seven months, we've been engaged for nearly a month," Pepper spoke up causing her father's eyes to bulge more.

"Why didn't you tell me," Mr. Potts paled significantly.

"Mr. Potts when I turn eighteen I'm going to be the owner and CEO of Stark International which is the leading technology provider for a large portion of the modern world. I'm worth 335 billion dollars. We didn't tell anyone so that no one would try and target your daughter for being with me," Tony answered.

Mr. Potts closed his mouth, opened it then closed it again.

"You've thought this through," Mr. Potts answered.

"Yes, now all we need is your parental permission to get married and put Pepper somewhere safe until the baby is born," Tony explained.

"W-when is it due," Mr. Potts asked hesitantly, he was going to be a grandfather.

"June 22nd," Pepper answered.

"Five months," Mr. Potts counted, "You don't look four months pregnant."

"I'm not," Pepper answered, "Due to Tony's rather odd DNA, the Baby is going to be born three months early."

"DNA, what's wrong with your DNA," Mr. Potts asked.

"About a month ago I was severely injured and a highly experimental type of gene mutation serum was used to save my life and regenerate the damaged parts of my body. It had the unfortunate side effect of changing a number of my chromosomes."

"Is the baby going to be deformed or something," Mr. Potts asked concerned.

"As far as we can tell no, it merely seems to be speeding up gestation," Tony answered.

"So are you going to be having a big wedding," Mr. Potts asked hoping to bring the conversation back to his level.

"No, we are going to quietly elope. Tony and I agreed that no one is going to know about myself or the baby until he has taken over Stark International and stabilized it," Pepper explained.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Pleeeeease Review. The more reviews I get the more I want to write.


	10. An Average Day for the Family

Pepperony is my favorite food ;P

Review Please

Chapter 10

It had been nearly two months since the news and Tony continued going to school along with Rhodey and at the end of each day flew out to meet his fiancée.

The whole school had different rumors and idea's for why Pepper no longer came to school.

Most just thought she had gotten expelled for punching Whitney, but the female Stane on existence told everyone who would listen that Pepper ran away and became a stripper.

0-0-0-0

He had stolen a screw driver during his time in Gene's research lab and was slowly removing each and every screw from the heavily bolted down force field doorframe that prevented him from leaving his cell.

Howard Stark had a plan; soon, very soon, he would escape this prison and return to his son. By his estimate he'd only be able to loosen a screw by two turns every half hour when the security camera in his cell shut down and rebooted for a ten second interval. Each screw took 10 turns to remove, there were 250 screws and at 2 turns every half hour it would take him about 52 days to remove all the screws without getting caught and escape. That's not counting the hours he'd have to be in Gene's lab, or when he did get out, how long it would take for him to get to civilization from the remote jungle lab somewhere in the depths of the uninhabited Andes mountains.

0-0-0-0

"Mr. Stark are you listening," Mrs. Trendle snapped still irked by him showing her up two months ago.

'She's still holding a grudge,' Tony thought, 'I suppose this proves elephant really don't forget.'

"No," he answered succinctly, in truth he had been listening to Nick Fury who had just called him, telling him he was desperately needed without saying why. He needed to get out of the class but didn't have any more bathroom passes…wait he worked for Shield.

"Then what did I just sa-what NO?" she asked indignantly.

"Yes," Tony replied with a smile.

"So you were listening," she asked confused.

"No, I wasn't listening, yes, I said No I wasn't listening," Tony grinned at the discombobulated teacher.

"Why, weren't you listening," Mrs. Trendle ground out. She really didn't like this smart ass kid, his father's company made more money in an hour than she made in her entire lifetime.

"Because I just got a message from Shield that I'm needed, so goodbye," Tony said as he stood up and waved goodbye to Rhodey, "Hey Rhodey can you grab my backpack in case I don't come back to school today."

"Don't think I'm falling for that, you didn't have your phone out or anything," Mrs. Trendle smirked triumphantly, she'd get him this time.

"Don't need a phone, I have an Inter-cranial comlink, I get messages downloaded straight into my cochlea so it's like I'm hearing them right next to me," Tony grinned before shutting the door behind him, Nick was listening in on the conversation.

Oh well at least he was getting out of the double two hour long period.

As Tony raced down the hallway he had Fury's voice in his ear, "Wait you mean all those times I contacted you like this, I was talking straight to your brain, not an ear piece."

"Pretty much," Tony answered as he hid behind a car in the school parking lot and pulled his suit to the surface of his body, "Before you ask, no you can't have some."

"Even if I put a contract out with Stark International," Nick asked.

"Sorry buddy, no I don't have control over S.I. for another two months and even then this tech wouldn't work for normal humans," Tony chuckled as he flew towards the Shield helicarrier.

A moment later he landed on the hard black and yellow landing strip in the sky.

Agent Coulson was waiting for him.

"Director Fury is in the main command center," Coulson said as he walked alongside Tony, "How's Salt?"

Fury, Coulson and a select few other within Shield knew the truth of Carolina Salt's true identity as well as the fact that she was pregnant with Tony's child. For safety reasons they continued to call her Salt anytime they wanted to talk about Pepper.

"The baby is keeping her up at night, and not being in the thick of the action is driving her insane. You wouldn't happen to have anything low key for her do, just so she doesn't get bored," Tony asked his older friend.

"I'll tell Widow to go visit her with some reports and see if Salt can glean anything extra that we missed from them," Coulson offered.

"That'd be great, I'm starting to feel bad that I get to continue my life normally while she has to stay cooped up in the house for the baby's safety," Tony said as the doors opened to the command center allowing them in.

"I wouldn't worry too much, in less than three months she'll be back in the thick of things," Coulson answered as they stopped in front of Fury.

"Ironman, it has come to our attention that the plane carrying the U.S. president is running out of gas over the Gulf of Mexico," Fury started, "Normally it would be refilled with a special service plane but the plane has suffered damage from heavy turbulence and is unable to do so, none of ours that are largest enough to assist a landing, are fast enough to reach it. However, with our help and your sonic cannons we would be able to launch you into the plane's vicinity and you would be able to help the plane make an ocean landing, where we would be able to retrieve the Air Force One. You should be back in less than an hour."

"I've had harder assignments," Iron man answered, "How are you going to assist me?"

0-0-0-0-0

It was actually a pretty good idea, and he was one of the few who would survive being shot out of a sonic missile cannon so he couldn't come up with a valid reason in his mind as to why he was nervous at being loaded into the long range weapon system as ammo…maybe it was the fact that if they missed there was a good chance he would hit a mountain or city along the way.

"Commencing firing in three, two, one-"

"AAAAAH, WHOOO HOOO, this is great," Tony sent back to the command center as he ignited his sonic boosters and rocketed at Mach 5 towards the rapidly approaching plane.

Technically, he was the one rapidly approaching but in Tony's eyes it appeared as if the large plane went from an indiscernible speck on the horizon to full-sized in the four minutes it took him to be fired across the country.

Flipping around, he started up the repulsion system and dragged to a stop right next to the descending plane.

With a thought he hacked into the pilots communication systems.

"Hello, pilot of Air Force One, this is Iron man, I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D. I will be assisting you in an aquatic emergency landing. What seems to be the problem with the plane?" Tony asked the pilot.

"I-Ironman? Oh thank god I thought we were going to die out here," the pilot replied, "A circuit shorted and that caused the fuel line to release all the fuel as well as fry the right most engine."

Using Extremis Tony searched the entire plane and found the blown fuse, it was beyond saving so all that was left was to carry the load of the engine that was starting to….crap, the engine let out a burst of flames in a trail behind the plane.

With nothing left for it, Tony flew into the flames and grabbed hold of the failed engine rim, holding on for dear life in the strong slip stream of the plane.

"Okay, captain glide the plane down at a thirty degree angle then level out to a 5 degree decline at fifteen hundred feet," Tony instructed, and immediately felt the pilot obey.

"Roger that," the relieved pilot called back.

For two minutes the plane continued its relatively steep dive, Tony could hear the screaming of the confused and frightened passengers.

Turning his head he looked up at the window nearest the engine he was carrying; a young boy was staring wide eyed at him as the woman next to him held him in a tight hug with her eyes closed.

Tony turned his attention back to the plane as he felt it level out to a slight slope. The clear blue water of the Floridian coast would have been very inviting if it hadn't been for the stress of carrying a several ton plane with one of the most important politicians in the world on it.

Another five minutes passed as they neared the water…Five, Four, Three, Two, ONE! They hit the water with a jar before skipping lightly across the surface to a stop.

With the plane safe, Tony flew up several hundred feet in the air and realized that they were within half a mile of a beach.

The beachgoers were staring out at the plane.

"Fury come in the eagle has landed," Tony said through the Shield channel.

"Good job Tony," Fury congratulated.

"We're near a beach in Florida, I'm going to try and push the plane to the beach, I'm worried it might sink with some of the damage it's sustained." The harsh water landing had ripped a hole in the fuselage.

"Roger, go ahead," Fury agreed.

With an almighty shove and some help from his sonic boosters Tony shot the plane towards the beach before pulling it to a stop in the empty shallows.

The door to the plane opened and an emergency slide unfolded, admitting several very recognizable people out.

"Ironman," The president called out, "Thank you so much for saving my family."

"No problem," Tony said awkwardly, "Thank Shield if you want, they're the ones who sent me."

With that Tony blasted off straight to New York and school, which he really wasn't allowed to miss too much of.

Landing behind a car he pulled the armor back into his bones and headed up the school stairs.

….Wait a minute.

Consulting the schedule in his head, he realized that the entire rescue had only taken an hour and a half meaning he still had five minutes left of The Bitch.

Sighing he headed into the classroom and sat down right where he had left his backpack.

"Mr. Stark?" Mrs. Trendle asked taking in his ruffled appearance.

Tony's more durable body and skin hadn't noticed that he was still steaming and smoking from having been in the engine fire for nearly twenty minutes. His shirt was signed and burned in one place.

"Yeah, what?" Tony asked thinking she was going to go on a tirade.

"What happened to you?" Rhodey asked pointing to the burn on his shirt, his skin and the rest of him seemed fine.

"An engine failed," Tony said simply.

"An engine…Then why couldn't it wait until after school," Mrs. Trendle asked.

"Because it was the engine on the president's plane and it was going to crash," Tony rolled his eyes at the woman…wait Ironman did that, "Ironman carried the engine while I parachuted in and fixed the fuel line," he covered quickly. Whoo, now they couldn't be directly connected.

RING

"Bye," Tony grinned grabbing his backpack and racing out of the class to his locker to get a change of clothes. It was a testament to his biotechnical achievements that he had been able to survive such heat without even noticing.

0-0-0-0-0

"Honey I'm home," Tony called out jokingly to his wife of three weeks.

"It wasn't funny the first time," Pepper rolled her eyes at her husband, a smile on her lips belying any real irritation.

Natasha barely glanced at him as she collected the files she had brought Pepper to look over into a pile.

"I'll just leave these here for you," Nat told her younger friend as she stood up and silently exited the house. Her personal hovercraft was parked on the helicopter pad on the north end of the island.

Once she was gone, Tony sat down next to his wife who was staring at a satellite photo of…Russia Extremis informed him based on the photo.

"What's going on in Russia," Tony asked as he put an arm over her shoulder allowing her to leaning into the crook of his arm.

"Gun trafficking, I'm trying to identify who's running this secret base by how it's laid out," Pepper informed him. Her hand was rubbing absent minded circles on her round stomach. She looked six and half months pregnant.

"How does that work," Tony asked kissing the top of her head as he pulled her into his lap causing her to giggle at the sudden change in position.

"Gangs aren't very original they tend to lay out their operations in certain way, for instances this looks to be an Italian intrusion on Russian territory, I say that because it has the same barracks, training, and holding arrangement as the base in Sicily," she told him as she showed him another similar picture that Extremis identified as a portion of the Mediterranean, "What did you do today?"

"I spent a good portion of second period saving the president's plane from crashing into the ocean," Tony said as if it was ordinary, and it was for this couple.

"Nat and I flew to Key West, I had a craving for fresh lobster," Pepper said as she leaned back into her husband's, "Before you say anything I was disguised, no one knew it was me."

"That's fine, you're not a prisoner, you're my wife and you're carrying my son," Tony said, both things gave him a warm feeling.

"Just think, one and a half more months and I'll be back in the field," Pepper thought wistfully, "I wonder if little Michael will be too strong or different to put in daycare."

"I'm sure we'll figure-Wait Michael? OH, No you don't, you don't get to name our kid without me," Tony said as he laid down on the couch and pulled his wife with him, "Plus I was thinking of something strong…Edward Stavros Stark."

Pepper burst into laughter, "We are NOT naming our child after a glittering VAMPIRE!"

Tony sweat dropped as he realized what she meant, "I'll give you that one, how about Samuel Orion Stark."

She laughed harder, "His initials would be S.O.S."

Tony started laughing now too.

"How about Aaron Stark," Pepper offered still giggling slightly.

Tony stopped laughing at looked at her, "I like it," he said, "What will his middle name be?"

"We'll figure it out," Pepper smiled as she sat up and stood up, "First let's get some dinner, I'm starving."

Smiling from her antics, Tony followed her into the kitchen and ordered dinner from Jarvis who set the kitchen to work.

-0—0-

"So, you're going to be eighteen in two months and the baby is due in a month and a half. Will you be introducing us as your family as soon as you take the company," Pepper asked as she dug into the linguini Jarvis had made. The thought had been on her mind for a while.

"I'm not sure, truthfully, I'm a bit worried someone will attack you before I can stabilize the company. Without you two, I'm not sure I'd even want to company. That makes you and Aaron ," he smiled broadly, "vulnerable to mine, sorry, Our enemies," Tony said looking intently at her beautiful face. She had matured and all her baby fat had disappeared leaving her with curves in all the right places. (She looks more like the Pepper from the movies now that she's older)

"So you want to wait to tell the world we're married?" Pepper asked.

She was no longer the gangly 15 year old she had been when she had first met Tony.

But she didn't think she was as pretty as Whitney but, but,but?

WAS he embarrassed of her? WAS the only reason he married her because she'd gotten pregnant?

"Pepper?" Tony asked concerned by the full-fledged rivers of tears that just appeared in Peppers eyes.

"You think I'm ugly and fat don't you?" Pepper began sobbing hysterically, "You want someone pretty like Whitney!"

Tony just sat there dumbfounded that his stunning wife would think such a thing.

"WHAT? Are you crazy, that's like saying I'd rather be with an pretentious orangutan, when I can be married to Gwyneth Paltrow!" Tony exclaimed to his wife who stopped crying immediately and grinned.

"Really? That's SO sweet, you're going to be such a good dad," Pepper said randomly before going back to her dinner.

Tony sweat dropped silently as he realized it was going to be a long few months until the baby was born, if her hormones were that whacked out.

0-0-0-0-0

It was perfect in her mind.

All she had to do, now that little bodyguard Pepper was out of the way and the bruise the little bitch had given her was gone, was worm her way into Tony's heart.

This way her and her Father could retain control of the Stark International, and she could maintain her current standard of life.

Whitney Stark was inevitable in her mind.

0-0-0-0-0

"Fuck that feels good," Tony moaned as he thrust into Pepper.

"Harder, FASTER," Pepper gasped as his cock entered her from behind. His hands were squeezing her breasts as she knelt on the bed on her hands and knees, Tony pounding her from behind.

"YESSS," she screamed as she came. Tony slowed his thrusts as he had already finished.

The two collapsed next to each other, satisfied, "I think my favorite part of being pregnant, is not having to use a condom."

"You can say that again," Tony laughed as he spooned her, his dick pressing up against her tight ass.

Their specialized anatomy gave them a lot of stamina and being teenagers did not help their libidos.

"Tony?"

"Yeah, babe," he replied as he ground his growing erection against her ass.

"Have you ever wanted to try anal?"

Tony felt his dick twitch thought, "Why?"

"I've always wondered what it would be like," Pepper said, it was such an odd thought, it came out of nowhere almost like one of her pregnancy food cravings.

"Wanna try?" Tony asked hopefully as he used his hand to pull her ass cheeks so that his head could brush against her only virgin hole.

She moaned as he added more pressure to her puckered rose. Her hardened skin wouldn't tear if he did this so he felt little guilt as he pressed almost to the point where the ring of muscle gave way and allowed him entrance.

"That feels good," She said, "What about lube?" She knew doing it this way could be painful without it, but her overly sensitive nerves tended to lean to the pleasure side and this had the potential to be amazing.

"Let's try just a little without it, if it hurts then the lube is in the nightstand," Tony whispered kissing her neck. He was very eager to try this, he had never done it before but some of the boys he knew had and said it was better than vaginal, especially without the lube, for better friction.

"A-alright," she moaned as he reached a hand around the front and teased her clit.

Pushing his knee between hers from behind, he spread her legs, giving him better access.

Pepper was uncertain as he continued. She knew this could be great but it felt good and bad and he hadn't even started yet. It was slightly painful as he pushed against the ring slowly trying to make it give way, but the pressure of his member was pleasurable.

She could feel the muscular ring of her sphincter give way and was almost overwhelmed by the pain until she felt a hand begin rubbing her clit. She didn't know whether to scream or moan as the head of his cock pushed into her.

His lips were against her neck working a hickey onto her collarbone. It felt amazing as his fingers slipped lower inside of her. He had stilled his movement behind her as she acclimated.

"Relax I'm gonna do it on three…One, TWO!"

Before she could clench in apprehension he thrust forward slipping to the hilt easily in her relaxed rectum.

The sensation was indescribable, that sensation of being filled was far more pleasurable than the pain the intrusion caused.

Tony moaned loudly as he leisured in the tight velvet grip that was surrounding his cock.

"Roll on to your knees," Tony instructed as he assisted pulling onto all fours, his dick never leaving its happy little heaven.

Once she was in the desired position, he began pulling out slightly but stopped when Pepper hissed in pain. Before he could go further she reached over and into the nightstand a pulled out a purple tube and hand it to him.

He just smiled at the implication and pulled his member out to the point, that only his head remained inside her. Holding still he enjoyed the instinctive spasms Pepper's newly deflowered sphincter did as her body tried to remove the foreign presence.

With one hand on the tube he used the other to smooth the slick mixture over his throbbing cock. Pulling out, he quickly replaced his member with the thin nozzle of the tube and squeezed the cool liquid into her cavity which clenched tight in surprise at the cold.

"EEP," she chirped from the sudden cold, "OOOH!" she yelped again as his cock thrust back into her slick ass.

Putting a hand on her shoulder he steadied himself as he began a slow place, using all his self-control not to hurt her.

Pepper seemed to realize this and turned her head giving him a sexy look of approval. Before he could speed up to acknowledge her silent request, the already tight muscles hugging dick clenched tightly, forcing a good amount of precum from him member.

Sudden animalistic need took over him. He pressed himself against her back and wrapped his arms under and around her shoulder. Without warning his pace when from medium to brutal, his balls slapping against her dripping pussy as she moaned loudly from the sudden intense friction against her unnaturally sensitive nerves.

Her whimpering continued until it was a quiet keening mewls, he was taking what he wanted and she was more than willing to give it if it always felt this good.

Coming down from his slight high, he continued to pump as he reached over to the nightstand once again and this time removed a thick ribbed seven inch pink dildo.

She was entirely oblivious in her pleasured bliss that she didn't even notice when he reached down between then and pressed the large phallus against her slit.

Without further warning he shoved it into her slick tight hole causing her to yell out in surprise.

Pepper felt fuller than she had had ever felt in her life. Tony's cock continued to pound her ass, heightening her pleasure as his thick member slid against the thin wall of muscle separating her rectum from her vagina. The skin was so thin that she could feel Tony's smooth fat cock pressing, sliding and grinding against the thick ribbed dildo.

Tony was close but he wanted Pepper to finish before he did so he once again reached into the replete nightstand and this time removed blue dildo with a bright red button on it.

Pepper was a sexual deviant and as such the nightstand was always filled with many interesting things.

He pulled out so fast that her hole was still gaping with a slight flutter. Snatching up the lube bottle from beside him, he squirted a little more of the liquid into her before shoving the blue eight inch dildo into her ass.

Pepper squirmed from the intense pleasure, she was going to come soon. Clenching all her muscles she tried to move back and grind again Tony to create the oh so necessary friction.

Her frustration, however, did not have time to set in because Tony's hand snaked down once again and pressed the bright red button.

Pepper's mind shattered as fast hot vibrations filled her body from her ass. It jostled against the ribbed dildo in her pussy.

Rolling onto her back, she writhed unable to control her body as the world turned white and her body convulsed with pleasure.

She came hard and long.

Tony who was watching the scene was harder than rock .

Unable to hold himself back, he ripped the pink ribbed dildo from her snatch and thrust into her, bottoming easily as her cum lubricated his entrance into her fist tight canal.

He moaned loudly as the vibrations in her body assaulted his own sensitive organ, causing his balls to clench as her muscles suckled him. His load spurted hot and deep against her occupied womb.

Thrusting slowing the two came down from their high, the dildo in her ass still buzzing as they lie their half paralyzed from the intense love making.

Reaching behind her he turned the device off and slowly pulled it from her clenching rectum.

Pepper whimpered from the loss of the exquisite fullness.

"That was amazing," Tony whispered half unconscious from the pleasure induced delirium.

"Best I've ever had." Pepper mumbled before falling into hazy sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sorry I've been so busy lately, hope you enjoy


	11. I don't know where I am

Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been really busy with life and stuff. Any way here you go.

Read and review.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Chapter 11

0-0-0-0-0-0

He had finally escaped!

He had originally planned to escape from his cell in the middle of the night, after having painstakingly removed all but ten of the screws.

But who was he, to turn down such an amazing opportunity? Especially one handed to him on a silver platter!

Gene's guards had come to retrieve him from his cell and bring him to the helipad for yet another trip to a Makluan temple.

Fortunately for him, there was an apparent disturbance in the main hall as a diplomatic visit from a rival broke into chaos and all but one of his guards was called away.

"What do you think is happening in there?" he attempts to start a conversation with the guard as they stood next to a prepped helicopter.

"No talking!"

"Sorry, sorry was just making conversation. You know, if more people were friendly in the world, then we wouldn't have half-"

"I said, no talking!"

"Well I'll just be waiting in the 'copter then," Howard said as he began climbing into the helicopter.

The guard remained facing the rooftop door of the compound in case any of the rival gang attempted to escape via the roof.

THUD.

Climbing into the helicopter had given him a vantage point over the guard. Without much compunction, Howard took his chance and heel kicked the man so hard in the head that he face planted on the concrete.

He had to work fast or his window of opportunity would close. Jumping down to the ground he snatched up the guard's gun and scrambled back into the helicopter, immediately pointing the gun at the surprised pilot.

"OUT! Get out! NOW!"

The pilot was shaking as his safety belt was unclipped by Howard and he was unceremoniously shoved out the door.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"TONY!?"

"Ung?'

"TONYYYY! WAKE UP! My WATER broke!"

"Five more minutes!" Tony answered befuddled. It was as if the world was moving in slow motion.

"We need to get to school to have the Baby TONY! I don't want an illiterate baby!"

"Wait what?" Tony asked his distressed wife as the lamppost pushed a gurney into the bedroom.

"Tony, we don't have time for arguing, I'm late, for a very important DATE!"

"AAAH! What the hell is going on!"

0-0-0-0

Tony shot up out of bed, to see Pepper hovering over him, in a bathrobe heavily pregnant.

"Tony, If you don't get out of bed right now, you're going to be late for the board meeting, this isn't like school, you can't just blow it off. Also Jarvis has breakfast in a bag waiting for you, now GO!"

Realizing where he was, Tony shook the bizarre dream from his mind and hopped out of bed.

After a five minute shower and Jarvis' help dress, he was out the door.

He found he immensely enjoyed his new job, with….wait….he was eighteen but Pepper hadn't had the baby yet?

Stopping his flying boat Tony turned to see an enormous flamingo colored Whitney.

"Tony?" asked the enormous pink Whitney, "Can you hear me?"

"He can't hear you the hallucinogens are too strong," said a squeaky voiced penguin as it rode past on a turtle as it swam through the sky.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"He's doing a remarkable job fighting the toxins the Nanobots are releasing. Each time he realizes that he's in a dream, he becomes that much closer to taking control of the Nanos and using extremis to eject them.

0-0-0-0-0

Earlier that day

Tony sat bored out of his gourd in an irrelevant art class, contemplating the fact, that in less than a week, he would be a father.

That scared him more than the fact that less than two weeks after that, he would also be running an international organization, all while he continued his work with Shield.

Not to mention the fact that they didn't even know what a child with extremis DNA would be like. He could end up have a raging zombie monster for a son.

The image this brought to head made him shudder and accidently knock over a bottle of paint that splattered his shirt.

"Um, Mrs. Letzo, can I go to the bathroom and clean up?" Tony asked as he stood the bottle back up.

Upon receiving a nod from the teacher he walked to the bathroom, still thinking about how odd his life was nowadays.

Before he had even turned the sink on, Nick Fury's voice filled his head, "Tony, there has been an explosion at-"

"Yeah, I'm getting live news feed. It seems Stane was working on some volatile new experiment. I swear if he ruins my company before I take it over I'll…."

"Anyway, your first priority is to ev=zacuate all the civilians and employees. Once you finish that, put the fire out and come in for a debriefing on any suspicious activity you witness while in the facility. Fury out."

Shaking his head at the exasperating behavior his colleague was so famous for, Tony merely pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it in the garbage as he headed outside.

After a quick glance around the parking lot to ensure it was empty, he pulled the armor to the top of his skin and shot off towards the column of smoke in the distance.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Evacuating the people out of the building had taken a good half hour of breaking windows and carrying cement platforms loaded with people from all levels of the 60 story building.

Luckily for his stock portfolio he was able to minimize the damage to his company headquarters to just the windows and explosion site, which insurance would easily cover.

Turning off his rocket boosters, Tony floated at a more reasonable rate with his gravity gyros back to the burnt out hole that had been the south wing of the R&D department.

In retrospect, he should have cut off the external ventilation to his suit before flying into a destroyed laboratory.

Hell even if it wasn't destroyed, the fact that Stane was involved even indirectly should have reminded him to be more cautious.

But no, he'd disregarded all the warning signs and as such, gotten a lungful of nanites, whose sole purpose was to destroy human brain tissue. In fact as he lay in a deep coma in a shield facility the only thing keeping his brain from being turned into soup was the Extremis that made him just different enough from the humans it was designed for to save his life.

He'd been in this coma for nearly two weeks.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sorry for the LONG wait but I've been oh so busy. And yes I do plan on continuing this story.


	12. Escaping Hell

A/N: We are nearing an end to this story :'( I actually dreamed the end of this story before I even started it.

Anyway, read, enjoy and PLEASE review.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Chapter 12

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Lost, confused, and utterly terrified was the only way to describe the current state of Anthony Edward Starks mind.

After being thrown through hundreds of different realities, Tony was unsure of what was real any more.

Were the visions of a beautiful red head real? Or perhaps reality was when he fighting preposterous villains in the streets of Manhattan? Maybe he was really just an old man sitting in a rocking chair in a nursing home, waiting to die?

Which was real?

"Please Tony, you have to wake up soon, I can't raise our son alone," the voice said. It was one of his favorite hallucinations. When this beautiful woman would visit him; her voice reassuring him that everything was going to be alright.

Every time he heard her voice, he felt a strange sensation, almost as if a hand was holding his.

Looking down at this fingers he concentrated on the sound of the angels voice, "I named him Aaron. Like we decided; He's Aaron Anthony Stark. He's absolutely beautiful, and already I can tell he's going to take after you. He made the TV turn on without touching it. Isn't that amazing?"

Oh, it was that one again was it?

It was his favorite dream. The one in which he was married to the beautiful red-haired angel and they had a son. He always wondered what the son looked like though.

He wished that once, just ONCE, he could see this make believe child and make the dream perfect.

"Agha ubba gah," another sound filtered through the cloudy grey sky that was the ceiling of the desolate, fiery wasteland he had been in for what felt like eternity.

"See? He's trying to say hi to his daddy," the lovely voice announced.

Daddy? Such a lovely word. It brought thoughts that could only be memories of his own childhood.

"Daddy loves you very much Aaron and if he knows what's good for him he'll wake up," the lovely voice warned with a threatening edge.

He fell like a ghost through the desert floor and saw the red-haired angel kicking him in the check during a practice, an echo of her voice carried to him, "And you'll stay down if you know what's good for you."

She laughed as he replied from his place on the floor, "I'll stay down if you come down too."

He pulled her down by the arm until she was straddling him on the soft mat.

The scene was so familiar. Was it another dream? Or perhaps a memory?

Latching onto the hope he shouted as loud as he could, "I love you angel girl!"

As soon as the words fell from his mouth he fell once more, this time through the ceiling and landed in a grassy field. The sky shone blue-white in the sky like a fluorescent light bulb, grass was an ashy white as it swayed in the light breeze.

Inhaling, he lifted one hand into the air and plucked a white flower off of a small plant next to him and breathed the aroma in.

It smelled of daisies and disinfectant. What an odd combination.

"Tony? I know you can hear me!" came the lovely voice again, louder this time, "You need to open your eyes."

Blinking, he smiled as the red-haired angel came into view. She was sitting with her legs bent beneath her. Her hair blew lightly in the breeze, smelling of strawberries. She wore a simple white night gown.

"Why? Can't we just stay here, it's the most peace I've had for as long as I can remember," Tony replied. At least he figured that was his name as she always called him that, besides who was he to argue with the beautiful woman.

"Because you have a family, Tony, and we need you. I need you," she said, emphasizing the _**I**_.

"You said we had a son? I remember that, you've said that a lot," Tony replied lethargically bringing the bleach scented flower back to his nose.

"Yes, his name is Aaron," she answered, "If you wake up you can hold him."

"Wake up? Aren't I already awake," He asked confused.

"No, I need you to open your eyes," she pleaded.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Please Tony, you have to wake up soon, I can't raise our son alone," Pepper pleaded as she always did. She had only left the medic's bay once since her husband had been in a coma, and that was to give birth to their son.

Wrapping her small fingers around his large, limp hand, she continued, hoping that her monologue would help him in some way. Help him return to her.

"I named him Aaron. Like we decided; He's Aaron Anthony Stark. He's absolutely beautiful, and already I can tell he's going to take after you. He made the TV turn on without touching it. Isn't that amazing?"

Truthfully it had freaked her out at first, that even at only three weeks old he was already so attentive. He almost never cried, he slept through the night and he was getting close to sitting up. The only thing that was slightly reassuring was that the accelerated growth had slowed already to barely a tenth of what it had been. Meaning that physically her son was only a week older than he really was.

"Agha ubba gah," Aaron gurgled happily from his place in her arms. He was reading against her shoulder in a on arms baby papoose.

"See? He's trying to say hi to his daddy," she announced happily, hoping desperately that Tony could hear her.

Kissing her son on the head, what she said next was more for herself than the baby.

"Daddy loves you very much Aaron and if he knows what's good for him he'll wake up," she threatened lightly, a tear nearly coming to her eye.

He fell like a ghost through the desert floor and saw the red-haired angel kicking him in the check during a practice, an echo of her voice carried to him, "And you'll stay down if you know what's good for you."

She nearly cried out in surprise when Tony's lips parted and a soft whisper came out.

"I love you, angel girl!"

His hand clumsily lifted off the bed and grasped awkwardly at the vase of daisies on his night stand. Luckily the plastic vase was screwed down, just like everything else in the Hellicarrier, or he would have made a wet, flowery mess when he pulled a now crushed daisy from the bouquet and lethargically pulled the flower to his still unconscious face.

"Tony? I know you can hear me!" she called out to him, pressing the emergency call button on the wall, "You need to open your eyes."

He blinked blearily at her his eyes only opening a third of the way.

"Why? Can't we just stay here, it's the most peace I've had for as long as I can remember," Tony hoarsely whispered.

"Because you have a family, Tony, and we need you. _**I**_ need you," she said, emphasizing the _**I.**_

"You said we had a son? I remember that, you've said that a lot," Tony replied lethargically bringing the now petal free bud to his face.

"Yes, his name is Aaron," she answered, "If you wake up you can hold him." She hoped

"Wake up? Aren't I already awake," He asked confused.

"No, I need you to open your eyes," she pleaded.

His glassy eyes looked at her uncomprehendingly, "They are open. I can see you. You're so pretty."

As he said this a doctor and two nurses came running into the room.

"Doctor, I'm worried, he's not making any sense. I think he might have brain damage," She exclaimed horrified. It would be a travesty to lose someone so intelligent. And worse, he might not even remember her or himself.

"Don't worry, it's probably just the sedative he's been on for the past few weeks. We had to keep him under of he'd have hurt himself in the beginning. Once he's more awake, we'll do some tests and that should tell us more."

Only slightly reassured she watched as they administered the counteracting solution.

'Please just be the sedatives. Please let him remember me,' she prayed to whatever deity would listen.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Howard had made it several hundred miles, before the fuel ran out.

Using the last of the fumes he had taken the aerial vehicle as low as it would go and attempted to land it in a small lake near the shore.

Unfortunately the barely functioning air craft missed his goal and he was now clinging to the top of a large piece of foam and metal that had been thrown free of the explosion after he'd jumped clear.

Said piece of debris was floating with the current, out of the lake and into one of the many tributaries that existed in the Amazon basin.

Two factors kept him from rolling off the safety of the broken insulation board and swimming to shore. One was the fact that he had already seen three caiman, a large water snake and what he thought was a school of piranha. The second was the fact that his leg was badly broken in at least two places.

With this thought in mind, he allowed himself to pass out.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

When he next opened his eyes, he was confronted with two, red-painted male faces with spears pointed at his face.

"Mulo gonga?" said one.

Howard merely shook his head weakly before passing out again.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Please review with your thoughts and whether or not you enjoyed it.


	13. Passing of the Helm

Sorry it's been so long, I've been hella busy lately.

Anyway, read and review :D

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Chapter 13

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

'At least he recognizes me,' Pepper thought as she sat on the edge of a still drowsy Tony's bed. He'd been awake for several hours, most of which had been used to take extensive tests, X-rays and MRI's.

Aaron mewled quietly in his sleep, as he nuzzled into his sleeping father's chest. Smiling down at her little family, she mentally waxed poetic as she thought of the years she'd known this boy-no man- he was a man now. Two years might be relatively short in the long run, but to her it made the difference between being a hyperactive child and becoming a wife, mother and skilled S.H.I.E.L.D agent. For Tony it might just be what brings his promising life to a standstill. It might just be his decision to become Iron Man that leaves him a vegetable for the rest of his life.

The door opened just then, interrupting her morose thoughts.

Looking up at the man in the white coat she raised an eyebrow at the way he rubbed the back of his neck in confusion while reading a report.

"Your husband is a remarkable young man Mrs. Stark," the doctor began, "From what I understand he wouldn't have survived without the upgrades he made to himself. It's not thing short of amazing-"

"He's _my_ husband, I know he's remarkable. Can you please tell me what's wrong with him?!" Pepper snapped before sighing, "Sorry, I'm just really worried about him."

The doctor blinked in surprised before nodding in understanding, "The toxin that the nanobots released DID cause the very top layer of his brain to be eaten away-"

"-Oh god no," Pepper covered her mouth with her hand, the bile burning the back of her throat as she realized that Tony was likely-

"Mrs. Stark please, I'm trying to explain what happened," the doctor stopped her, "As I was saying, if your husband was a normal human, he'd be dead. However, Extremis seems to have regenerated his brain, cell for cell that was destroyed with a titanium-vibranium alloy. It broke down a small portion of his internal armor reservoirs and –this is the mind blowing part-built a fully functioning neural network of metal based cells and neurons. The organic portion of his brain that survived is encased by a nearly indestructible computer."

Pepper blinked in surprised, "So-so he's going to be alright?"

The doctor smiled, "As far as we can tell, he's going to be better than alright. He was a genius before and now he basically has a super computer connected to his brain. Now it may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks or even months before the outer portion of the brain and the organic inner portion are completely in-sync, but all that means is that he'll be tired, having mood swings and might zone out while new synaptic connections form."

"So basically he'll be himself?" Pepper smirked, her depression lifting at the realization that the man she loved would be better than fine.

The doctor laughed, "I suppose so, when he makes up just let him know that he's on doctor's orders not to do any superhero work for at least two months."

"I'll let him know. Besides, he'll be too busy assuming the position of CEO at Stark International to deal with being Iron Man for a while," Pepper replied.

"Heh," The doctor huffed with amusement, "You're both 18 and you're already superheroes, spies, parents and the owners of a fortune five hundred company. It's mind boggling. When I was your age I was trying to figure if I wanted to go to college or cooking school."

With a wan smile Pepper replied, "It wasn't exactly something we planned. We started out as normal kids in high school and the circumstances kind of spiraled out of control and we fell in love and before we knew it we were saving the world and fighting bad guys and I was pregnant and we got married. I worry that'll it's going to fall apart and I'll be a single mother at 18. Sorry I'm dumping all my worries on you…"

"No- it's alright, this must be hard," the doctor assured, "I'm just glad that the world has people like you two in it. Well it was nice meeting you, but I have other patients to attend."

With that the doctor turned and left the room leaving Pepper once more to her thoughts.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Upon waking up he had found himself in a dry thatch hut, with a withered old woman shaking a bean filled coconut on a stick, over his broken leg. Since then, Howard had been trying to find a way to communicate with the tribespeople for the better part of the week. Unfortunately, their chosen language did not seem to have a root in common with any language he'd learned. Therefore he'd become consummate at charades.

He'd already found that, no, they did NOT have a ring ring talk banana (Phone). Luckily one of the older men had made friends with a lost logger years ago and had learned a few words of Spanish. Not enough to do more than let the man know when he had to use the latrine hut or when he was hungry/thirsty. To his amusement he could say bird. Something the tribesmen took great pride in.

"Gulo mana bird. Bird big like rumogara," 'Hank' as Howard called him, continue his story.

"Yes, Big bird, fascinating," Howard replied as politely as possible. He couldn't do anything but sit here and listen as he waited for his knee to heal, all the while hoping that Gene's men didn't find him first.

"Big bird like yours, vroom vroom bird go," Hank continued.

"Yes, bird goes vroom vroom," Howard repeated absent mindedly, "Just like mine-wait what?"

"You fall with bird. Just like bird with square food come each moon," Hank said excitedly, happy that his new friend was suddenly so enthusiastic.

"Big bird? Birds don't go vroom. The big bird that comes with square food, does it look like the bird I fell into the lake with?" Howard nearly begged.

Apparently, the only reason he'd been found was because several men from the tribe who had been out hunting had been nearby when his helicopter had crashed into the lake. They'd pulled him out of the water after he'd passed out and taken him to their village.

"Si, but bird no go boom," Hank smiled, "Bird men bring square food each time moon is bright."

Square food? Did he mean a crate? Was it a cargo drop to the tribe. Yes that was likely.

"When are the bird men coming again?" Howard asked quickly.

Hank smiled, "Bird men come when moon is bright. Moon was bright two sun deaths ago. You sleep through bird men bring food."

Howard nearly screamed in frustration, "Why didn't you wake me up?!"

"Sick bird man need rest, you see other bird men when the moon is bright. No worry," Hank smiled as he stood up and clapped him on the shoulder, "Food time. I bring food."

Raising a hand he rubbed the palms of his hand over the beginnings of a beard. He hoped he didn't go nuts before the next bird men- oh fuck now he was thinking like that-He hoped he didn't go nuts before the cargo drop came on the next full moon.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

A week later Tony had been discharged from the S.H.I.E.L.D infirmary and was putting on a business suit to face his first board meeting.

"It's under then over," Pepper said as she pushed Tony's hand away and fixed his tie. It was something he'd yet to re-master after the coma. Luckily it seemed like it was only the little things that he forgot.

She tied his tie and then watched with a smile as he untied it and retied it; his high IQ giving him an advantage on the learning curve. After two tries he seemed to have rememorized the inane little task.

"At least you remembered how to tie your shoes," Pepper teased as she leaned forward and pecked him on the lips.

"It's weird, I feel weird," Tony commented, "I thought I'd be nervous or something. But this just feels normal. Like I was meant to put on a suit and go to board meetings."

Pepper grinned at that before turning to take the brakes off the stroller, "Putting on suits seems to be a talent of yours. We'll see if we can say the same about board meetings."

Tony pulled her back before she could reach the stroller and pressed his lips to hers. His left hand moved to the back of her neck while his other moved to her waist, crushing her to him. Before he could continue Pepper pulled away with a look of longing still on her face.

"Ugh, I want to, but the doctor said not for another week," Pepper answered his unasked request, "Besides, you have a meeting to get to."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Tony and Pepper agreed that now that Tony was to be control of the company they would come out into the open about their relationship as soon as things settled down. The only reason to keep it a secret was to keep Pepper safe. That point had been made moot as Pepper was now not only able to take care of herself, she was more than qualified to protect others as well. Today she was going to be announced but more as moral support.

And so when Tony got out of the car in front of the Executive elevator in the car garage beneath S.I., Pepper also got with Aaron in his carrier and joined her husband in the elevator. She was going more as moral support

She thought about how much different she looked since she'd found out she was pregnant and left school. Her hair was no longer chopped short and was instead in an intricate bun atop her head. No more was she dressed in childish pink leggings with a too long shirt. Instead she wore a black pencil skirt and a white silk top with four inch black heels and black panty hose. She was actually wearing panty hose. That alone should be a testament to how much she'd matured.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Whitney smoothed her dress for what must have been the millionth time as she sat to the side of her father's office.

Today was the day that Tony was to take over the company. It was also the first time she'd seen him in nearly a month after he'd disappeared from school with the excuse of 'mono'. She'd kill the girl who gave it to him when she found out who it was.

Her father raised an eyebrow at her fidgeting, he had brought her here to distract the boy. To distract him and make it easier for him to persuade the boy into waiting a few more years before he took the company.

Just a little more time was all he needed and the boy could meet an accident just as easily as his father had. That plane crash had been a stroke of luck. If only it had finished off the boy too.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Alright, I want you to wait in the executive lounge with Aaron," Tony requested as the elevator got ready to stop, "No one knows about you yet, and I'd like to get some business out of the way before I make the announcement. God knows the press is going to have a field day with it."

"The question is, are they going to filet me for being a teen mother or are they going to shish kebab me for stealing away such a handsome, rich, genius bachelor?" Pepper smirked. She could handle the press. It's not like she couldn't just change her face on a whim to escape them if she wanted to.

As the elevator dinged and the doors opened she gave her husband one last kiss on the cheek before walking to the door labeled 'Executive Lounge' and quickly stepping in.

Tony started walking in the opposite direction until he reached the doors of the CEO's office suite. Not bothering to knock he pulled open the double doors and stepped in.

"Knock much?" a high feminine voice asked from beside the man he'd come to see.

What was Whitney doing here?

"It's my office, I didn't really see the point. A better question is where is the rest of the board? I thought we were supposed to be meeting with them today to transfer the title of CEO?" Tony asked his eyes narrowing at the empty meeting table situated off to the side of the room.

"I rescheduled them to meet us at 10:30 instead so that I might have a chance to talk to you about some things," Stane explained as he sat down behind the desk and motioned for Tony to do the same across from him.

"I didn't realize it was your prerogative to change my schedule without asking," Tony ground out, "Now what is it you wanted to talk to me about that was so important you delayed my meeting?"

"Honestly, I'm worried about you," Stane said, "I think you're too young to be taking on the stresses of being the CEO of a such a large international corporation. I am hoping to convince you to wait a few more years. Relax, grow up some, and perhaps when you're older and more experienced you will be better prepared to take on the responsibility."

Tony sneered at this, "I'm old enough thanks. In fact if it hadn't been for my father's stipulation, I'd have taken the company as soon as he died. I don't care much for how you run it and I care less for you. You're a snake. A greedy, corrupt bastard that has your fingers in quite a few rotten pies. So no, I won't be waiting a few years."

"Tony please," Whitney cut in, "Wouldn't you rather just be a kid for a while longer? You and I can travel and see the world! Wouldn't you like that?"

He had to force his eyes not to roll as she surreptitiously ran a finger down her neck line to her cleavage.

"No I wouldn't actually, I can travel without you thank you very much," Tony replied, "Why are you even here? Don't you have something better to be doing than whoring yourself out to distract your dad's business rivals?"

The color drained from the blondes face as her expressions looked as if she'd been slapped across the face.

"How dare you speak to my daughter like that?" Stane nearly snarled as his plan was found out.

"How dare YOU sit in MY chair, behind MY desk in MY office and act as if your little plan to get me to post pone today's meeting has to do with anything other than your own selfish desires. You want this company under your thumb, NOT to help me have a childhood I never wanted in the first place," Tony snapped derisively.

The father-daughter duo stared aghast.

"Tony?! I-I thought we were friends! If you do this right now it'll ruin my family. Please reconsider!" Whitney begged changing tactics.

"Ruin _your_ family? That's rich seeing as your father has been embezzling my money and using my company to become a war monger. He's actively endangered lives with his under the table dealings. So honestly, I could care less about what happens to you financially," the teen finished right as the doors to the office opened and nearly twenty board members entered the room.

Adjusting his tie, Tony headed for his new position at the head of the table.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Tony's first act was to remove Stane from his position as CEO. He didn't demote him back to his original position, he fired him without severance for embezzling funds and using the company's resourced for illegal activities. The smile hadn't left his face since the bastard had been drug from the building. His daughter unfortunately he allowed to stay behind to gather the man's belongings so that he wouldn't have to mail them to him.

His next act was to propose a new branch of medical R&D that would be experimenting with and field testing some of the less dangerous and powerful cyborg implements that he had in his own body. The first being a small patch of the neural network used to connect with his armor. From what little testing he'd done on it, it seemed that as he had joked earlier, it helped stabilize the thought processes of an ADHD person. Work was to begin on that within the week.

His last order of business had been to tell the board that selling weapons of mass destructions was now off the table as an option and that the resourced previously used to develop them was to be redirected into tools of defense and civilian betterment.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Whitney wanted to cry as she carried the box of her father's things (she'd stolen the stapler) to the break room to get the collection of crystal drink ware he had in there. Stepping in she averted her eyes from the woman with a baby as she headed towards the cabinet to set about her task.

"Whitney? What are you doing here?" the woman asked. Turning her head Whitney finally looked at the woman as she placed the infant back in its carrier.

Pepper Potts?

"Pepper? What the hell are you doing here? Didn't you get sent to a mental hospital or something," Whitney snapped.

"No, I didn't, I got accepted into the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division Intelligence department. Good pay, good benefits and I only have to work when there's a crisis. Figured it was a better deal than having to go to college for four years and then get a low paying job," Pepper smiled at the girls gaping face.

The blonde recovered after a minute, "Okay, but that doesn't explain what you're doing here or why you're babysitting that kid for that matter."

"I'm here with Tony," Pepper smiled prettily. She knew her next words were gonna rip a hole in the shallow bitches heart, "that 'kid' as you put it is Aaron Anthony Stark. Tony and I's son."

The blonde swore, "I don't believe you! Tony doesn't have a son! And if he did it certainly wouldn't be with you!"

Right as she said this the door opened and admitted Tony and a handful of other executives that were fawning over the boy genius.

Tony froze as he heard her words.

"I was kind enough to let you collect your father's things and you repay me by yelling at and insulting my wife and the mother of my child?" Tony growled.

"No! Tony she's lying, he can't be yours! She probably got knocked up by some guy and lied to you!" Whitney reasoned hysterically, her mascara was running down her face.

"He's mine and I don't appreciate what you're implicating. If you would please call security to have her removed, I'd be much obliged," Tony replied before turning to the assistant that had just been assigned to him. The young man was not much older than him and seemed ecstatic to already have something important to do on his first day as an intern.

Walking over to Pepper he wrapped an arm around her waist and turned to the other executives, "This beautiful woman has gotten me through so much over the years and to top that off just three weeks ago she gave worth to a beautiful baby boy. I'd like you to meet the heir to the Stark fortune, Aaron Anthony Stark."

As the group oohed and awed over their boss and his small family Whitney had to be dragged from the building crying and placed in a taxi.

Perhaps now she would accept that Tony would never be his.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Hope you liked it.


End file.
